Olivier Giroud strikes late to send Chelsea into Champions League last 16 with Rennes win

Substitute Olivier Giroud's last-minute header gave Chelsea a 2-1 victory in Rennes which sees them qualify for the last 16 of the Champions League.

In a game of shifting momentum, Chelsea dominated early and only Timo Werner will know how he skied over the bar from inside the six yard box in the third minute.

Chelsea went in front when Mason Mount's wonderful 50-yard ball perfectly set up Callum Hudson-Odoi who calmly finished to put his side in front.

After surviving a period of pressure at the end of the first half it seemed that Chelsea would hold out fairly comfortably in the closing stages before Sehrou Guirassy's bullet header five minutes from time.

But in the final minute Hakim Ziyech raced towards goal before sliding in Werner, who again finished disappointingly, but Alfred Gomis' block flew high in the air enabling the super sub Giroud to rise highest and power a header home to secure Chelsea's place in the next round.

Sevilla also reached the knockout stages after a stoppage-time goal by Munir El Haddadi snatched a 2-1 win at Krasnodar.

Much has been made of wunderkind Eduardo Camavinga, who in truth was a bit quiet, but he will certainly not be the only Rennes player the vultures will be circling around.

Serhou Guirassy saw injury problems hinder his time at Cologne, but now at 24 looks like he has all the tools to be a forward at one of Europe’s top sides.

Benjamin Bouregeard also has the quality to beat a man and play clever passes in the final third, while right winger Jeremy Doku could end up being as potent a threat as Wolves flanker Adama Traore. At 18 he is raw and some of his production uneven, but he burned Ben Chilwell like few Premier League players have done.

Mount’s versatility has made him a favourite of his bosses at club and country level, and draw the ire of some England fans, who, as Lampard said pre-game, prefer their footballers with an array of “instagram flicks”.

If he needed a highlight to show his quality it was with the assist for Hudson-Odoi’s goal here. The obvious ball was one down the inside left channel for Abraham to chase, but delaying an extra second, he opened up his body and sent an inch-perfect pass for his former academy team-mate to race onto down the middle of the pitch.

It was notable when he went off Chelsea lost a bit of control in the midfield and this central role seems to be one he can surely play for club and country for a long time to come.

Rennes: Gomis 5, Traore 6, Da Silva 7, Nyamsi 7, Truffert 6, Camavinga 6, Nzonzi 6, Siliki 5, Bourigeaud 7, Doku 7, Guirassy 8.

Subs: Del Castillo 6, Grenier 6, Niang 6, Gboho 6, Maouassa 6.

Chelsea: Mendy 7, Azpilicueta 7, Zouma 6, Thiago Silva 8, Chilwell 5, Jorginho 6, Kovacic 6, Mount 8*, Werner 5, Hudson-Odoi 7, Abraham 7.

Subs: Kante 6, Giroud 8, Ziyech 7, Havertz 6, James 6.

3’ What a miss! A perfect low cross from the right flank from Hudson-Odoi but Werner from the six-yard box spoons the ball over the bar.

22’ GOAL! A superb fifty-yard ball from Mason Mount which perfectly puts the ball in front of Hudson-Odoi and he races on and calmy places it past the Rennes keeper.

30’ Mount is denied by a fine save from Gomis. Chilwell was on the by-line and looked to hit the ball across the six-yard box but as the goalkeeper dived to gather, the ball was blocked back to Chilwell leaving the keeper out of position. But after the ball was pulled back to Mount he dived back to claw the ball away from his near post.

47’ DISALLOWED GOAL! Azpilicueta puts in a cross to the back post that Werner heads home but he was just offside.

85’ GOAL FOR RENNES! Guirassy fires a header home from Bourigeard's corner.

90’ GOAL! Superb poacher's goal from Olivier Giroud. Werner should have scored after Ziyech drew the defenders and put him through on goal but his tame effort was saved by Gomis' feet, only for the ball to fly in the air enabling the French centre forward to power the rebound home.