MADRID (Reuters) - Valencia kept their hopes of progressing into the knockout stages of the Champions League after snatching a dramatic 2-2 draw at home to Chelsea on Wednesday in the fifth round of Group H matches of the continental competition.
Valencia set the group on top of the standings (temporarily) after raising their tally to eight points, beating the difference of direct confrontations over the nearest rivals Chelsea, equal with him in the same balance, after the meeting of the two teams in the first leg of the group ended with the victory of the Andalusian team 1-0 at Chelsea Stadium.
Ajax Amsterdam, meanwhile, are third with seven points before meeting hosts Lille on Wednesday.
Valencia put Carlos Soler ahead in the 40th minute, but Chelsea quickly leveled through Matteo Kovacic in the 41st minute, ending with a 1-1 draw.
Excitement continued in the second half after Christian Pulisic added a second goal for Chelsea in the 50th minute, following the technique of video assistant referee (FAR), which pointed to the validity of the goal after the assistant referee initially pointed to the fall of the Chelsea player in the offside trap while scoring.
Valencia missed the equalizer quickly after Daniel Parejo missed a penalty in the 65th minute, but his teammate Daniel Fez restored a smile to the fans of the Andalusian crowd in the stands of Mestaya stadium, after scoring the equalizer for the hosts in the 85th minute.