Chelsea: Armando Broja hails Djordje Petrovic despite depriving him of match-winning penalty vs Newcastle

Potential decisive kick rested with Albanian striker in quarter-final tie
Marc Mayo20 December 2023

Armando Broja has admitted Djordje Petrovic's super save dashed his dreams of being Chelsea's penalty hero.

The Blues beat Newcastle 4-2 on penalties in the Carabao Cup quarter-final on Tuesday night, after a 1-1 draw in the 90 minutes.

Cole Palmer, Conor Gallagher, Mykhailo Mudryk and Christopher Nkunku all executed their post-kicks in the shootout while Kieran Trippier's miss had left Broja set to be net the winning penalty.

However, Petrovic superbly denied Matt Ritchie to book Chelsea's spot in the semis.

Speaking to the media after the game, Broja revealed: "I was (going to take the fifth penalty).

"I was quite excited actually. But Petrovic put on an unbelievable display, so it didn't quite get to me."

Broja, 22, detailed his hope that Chelsea's rescue act can help them kick on and find consistency in a difficult first campaign for new manager Mauricio Pochettino.

"Games like this show our spirit and the bond where we dug deep," he added.

"We got the equaliser even though it was in the 92nd minute and we got to penalties. We're a new team, with a new manager and everyone's trying to gel together.

"It's not going to be easy straightaway because we have a whole bunch of new players, so we need to get that rhythm and get that bond together. It's not going to happen overnight and people need to understand that.

"We keep playing for the badge."

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