Enzo Fernandez is hopeful Chelsea can pull off another unexpected Champions League triumph this season – and the Argentine star has outlined the moment his connection with supporters was deepened following last night's Round of 16 victory over Borussia Dortmund.
Signed from Portuguese giants Benfica in January for a club-record fee of £106million, Fernandez has quickly become a key figure in the Chelsea side. He has performed well despite the club's patchy form over the past six weeks and is understood to have quickly settled into life in England.
Fernandez started once again against Dortmund last night (Tuesday) and helped Chelsea overturn a first-leg deficit to secure their place in the Champions League quarter-finals with a 2-0 victory on the night, to go through 2-1 on aggregate. And it was during the post-match celebrations that a young supporter ran onto the Stamford Bridge pitch in tears to ask the 22-year-old for his shirt. It was a moment that resonated with Fernandez.
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"It touched my heart when the boy ran out to come and see me," the World Cup winner explained. "It was such a special moment because he wanted to see me and he gave me a quick hug. It made me feel even more connected with the fans. I love getting to know the fans and the trust that they have in me is incredible. I feel at home."
Chelsea will have to wait until the end of next week to discover who they will face in the quarter-finals; there is the potential for Fernandez to come up against his former club Benfica. But the midfielder is only focused on helping Chelsea continue their turnaround under Graham Potter following back-to-back victories.
He said: "We are going to be staying on this path and we hope things carry on improving. It was a great plan from our coaches for the game [against Dortmund]. We had trust that the team could do it. We had more people running in behind and many people working at the back. We just had to do our jobs and follow that game plan.
"When we play at home, it helps the confidence of the group. We played really well and we believe in the path that we are working on. I am really happy here and I am getting to know my teammates better. I am feeling more confident. We all are after our second win. We hope that we can be the champions again."
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