Middlesbrough defender, Lucas Engel appears to still be relishing his side’s win against Chelsea in the Carabao Cup more than a week ago.

Boro picked up a marginal 1-0 win against the Blues at the Riverside stadium to put one leg into the final of the tournament, which comes up in March.

Engel said in a chat with Bold: “It is the biggest challenge personally to play such a match. Standing in front of 35,000 spectators against Chelsea in a cup semi-final… I haven’t tried anything bigger.

“A few years ago I was over to see Chelsea play when I was on Christmas break, and now I was there myself. It was a special feeling, a crazy release.

“The stadium was packed, and I could clearly feel how much it meant to the fans. Our kit man said he hadn’t experienced an atmosphere like that in the stadium since European football was in Middlesbrough.

“It was a relief when the whistle blew, especially because my family was sitting in the stadium. They were almost even more proud and happy than I was.

“My mother had tears in her eyes, and my father had written me five or six messages during the match because he was so proud. It was a big day.”

The second leg of the semi-final clash between Chelsea and Boro will come up on Tuesday, January 23 at Stamford Bridge, and fans will be expecting the Blues to bounce back from their initial setback.