As this round of the World Cup 2018 qualifiers is done and dusted with, and there were quite a few ‘Blues’ representing their nations.
Most put in some noteworthy performances and were at the end of positive results, while there were a few who did not have as good a game, as per their high standards.
Here we take a look at the performances of each Chelsea player for their country in the qualifiers and rate them based on their display on the pitch.
EDEN HAZARD
Country : Belgium
WC Qualifier Result : Cyprus 0 – 3 Belgium
The Chelsea No.10 and Belgium captain was at his deadly best in Nicosia. He orchestrated his team’s attacks and put in an impressive show. He was quick with the ball and the us defenders had a hard time keeping him at bay.
Though he did not score a goal, he assisted Yannick Carrasco for the team’s third goal by unselfishly squaring the ball to him to shoot into an open goal. He also won a last minute penalty that was subsequently missed by fellow Chelsea player Michy Batshuayi. On the whole, it was an inspirational performance from August’s Premier League player of the month.
Rating : 9/10
THIBAUT COURTOIS
Country : Belgium
The Chelsea shot-stopper barely anything to do for the whole match. He just made one routine save from the only shot on target from Cyprus. The Belgian defense stood firm and Courtois kept a clean sheet nonetheless.
Rating : 7/10
MICHY BATSHUAYI
Country : Belgium
The forward had a night to forget. Coming on as a substitute for Romelu Lukaku for the last 15 minutes, he stepped up to take the penalty won by Hazard in the last minute of regulation time, which was saved by the Cyprus keeper. True, he did not have much time to make an impact, but he squandered the only opportunity he got.
Rating : 3/10
GARY CAHILL
Country : England
Qualifier Result : Slovakia 0 – 1 England
The center back was rock solid in defence and marshaled his troops at the back effectively. Slovakia did not have a shot at goal largely because of the strong defence. Cahill, as one of the main defenders, put in a solid performance.
Rating : 8/10
DIEGO COSTA
Country : Spain
Qualifier Result : Spain 8 – 0 Liechtenstein
The striker has never exactly lived up to his potential when has he played for Spain. Costa though, broke his goal-scoring drought when he scored with two headers, either side of the half. The first one he scored from a free kick, while the second he scored off his own rebound, off the goalkeeper. Their opponents were considered minnows, no doubt, but Costa certainly did his reputation no harm by getting on the score sheet twice.
Rating : 9/10
N’GOLO KANTE
Country : France
Qualifier Result : Belarus 0 – 0 France
Though France were held to a surprise goalless draw by Belarus, midfielder N’Golo Kante was busy as ever, making tackles and interceptions. His passing was in general pretty decent and he played the whole 90 minutes, though he cannot be blamed for France failing to capitalize on their chances. His work-rate, though, was terrific.
Rating : 8/10
BRANISLAV IVANOVIC
Country : Serbia
Qualifier Result: Serbia 2 – 2 Republic of Ireland
Another player who did not have a great outing was Chelsea’s Serbian defender. Ireland scored the first goal via a deflection off Ivanovic and while Serbia had chances to put the game to bed on many an occasion, some sloppy defending allowed the Irish to snatch a point. Ivanovic was far from his best though.
Rating : 4/10
ASMIR BEGOVIC
Country : Bosnia & Herzegovina
Qualifier Result : Bosnia 5 – 0 Estonia
Chelsea’s second-choice keeper did not have to sweat much as his team thrashed Estonia 5-0 and he kept a clean sheet. Estonia managed just two shots on goal.
Rating : 8/10
WILLIAN
Country : Brazil
Qualifier Result : Brazil 2 – 1 Colombia
Willian started the game against Colombia, and was replaced in the 66th minute. While he did play decent, providing some crisp passes and making quick runs, it was his replacement Coutinho who set up Neymar’s winner. On the whole, Willian did a decent job but did not create many chances.
Rating : 6/10
