Showing posts with label Champions League. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Champions League. Show all posts
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Chelsea secured a comfortable 2-0 victory over Copenhagen giving themselves two vital away goals and a great chance to progress to the quarter-finals of the Champions League.
Nicolas Anelka scored a double to open up a healthy lead going into the second leg at Stamford Bridge on March 16.
The Frenchman benefited off a loose pass from Jesper Gronkjaer after only 17 minutes for his first goal. Frank Lampard played a delicious ball through to Anelka for his second as Chelsea stamped their authority on the match. Copenhagen who had not played a game in a couple of months looked heavily off the pace.
The Blues went about their work very professionally as Copenhagen were certainly no pushovers.
They have taken the Danish League by storm creating a massive 19 point void over the winter break and if that was not impressive enough – they were unbeaten at the Parken Stadium in the Champions League this season.
Ancelotti selection choice had been vindicated as he opted to leave Didier Drogba on the bench. Torres partnered Anelka upfront and gave the home side numerous problems.
Jose Bosingwa, Michael Essien were restored to the first team line-up after missing out on Saturday FA Cup clash against Everton.
An ambitious effort from Frank Lampard after three minutes spurred on the Premier League side - his confidence certainly boosted after returning to goalscoring form recently with five goals in his last nine games.
It set the tone of the early stages as Copenhagen's Cesar Santin opted for a long range blast at goal which didn't trouble Petr Cech.
Torres and Anelka were linking up well and Malouda offered support as the Blues threatened to blow away the hosts in the first half.
Ancelotti would have been pleased to see his new strike force combining well and on 10 minutes, Torres drifted inside and delivered a lovely through ball towards Anelka who’s first time effort was blocked.
And it was again the Spaniard who looked very lively given his first Champions League start for the Blues - he slid a ball down the wing towards Malouda but his cut back failed to find a blue shirt.
But the Italian boss would not have to wait much longer as Anelka bagged a precious away goal for his side. Gronkjaer gave the ball away needlessly in midfield and the Frenchman graciously took the opportunity with a clinical finish past Johan Wiland in the Copenhagen goal.
Chelsea nearly went 2-0 up a few minutes later on the counter as Malouda surged forward and played in Torres, a couple of stepovers took him past the Copenhagen defence but his shot was saved well.
The visitors were in the ascendancy and Anelka should have extended the visitors' lead further but he tried to pick out Torres at the back post however Wiland prevented the pass from going to the Spaniard and the Danes survived once more.
The half-time whistle went at the Parken Stadium and Chelsea looked very comfortable with the hosts having a couple sporadic chances.
Substitute Martin Vingaard looked determined to get the home side back into the match. His snap shot after a minute of the second half had Cech scampering down towards his near hand post but at least it was a statement of intent by the midfielder.
However any thoughts of a comeback were shortly extinguished as Chelsea doubled their lead on the counter-attack on 54 minutes. Lampard played a delightful through ball towards Anelka and he needed no second invitation to fire it past Wiland in goal.
Torres could have added a third as the Blues threatened to run riot with an hour of the game gone.
Gronkjaer nearly had a chance to redeem himself as he was played through on goal but the linesman adjudged the Dane to be in an offside position although replays showed that the winger was onside.
It was a warning to Chelsea of what the hosts were capable of however Torres yet again had another chance to score as he skipped past the Copenhagen defence but his shot despite getting past Wiland in goal lacked the necessary power to get over the line.
Perhaps a saving grace for the Danish side is that they will be sharper when the two sides meet again in a few weeks time but on tonight's display it seems Chelsea are favourites to progress into the quarter-finals.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
The French champions made life tricky at times for the Blues, but an early goal from captain John Terry, his first of the season, and a Nicolas Anelka penalty inside the first half-hour put the game beyond the reach of our visitors.
Alex and Michael Essien both went agonisingly close to extending the lead in the second half, but Carlo Ancelotti will be content with getting back to winning ways after successive domestic defeats.
Marseille, led by former Chelsea midfielder Didier Deschamps, lined up differently to how they started their matchday one defeat against Spartak Moscow, with only six players surviving from that game.
Chelsea too were a little unfamiliar, with Frank Lampard, Salomon Kalou and Yossi Benayoun still injured and Didier Drogba still suspended, there were starts for Yury Zhirkov in midfield and Gael Kakuta in attack, the 19-year-old lining up on the right of the front three, where Nicolas Anelka led the line down the middle.
Two minutes in it was the visitors who had the game's first chance, Lucho Gonzalez misfiring his shot, and the ball ricocheting wide off team-mate Loic Remy's heel.
It was a deflection at the other end four minutes later, from Florent Malouda's shot, which led to Chelsea's opening goal.
Kakuta took the corner from the right, swinging it into the near post area where John Terry had made his run, and the captain deftly flicked the ball just inside the post with the outside of his boot.
It was the perfect way to quieten, if not entirely silence the visiting support, which had been vociferous in its abuse of the French World Cup men during the first few minutes.
It certainly hadn't affected Malouda, who had flown out of the blocks. He nearly doubled the lead on 13 minutes after beating his marker Charles Kabore for strength and skill in equal measure, but fired hsi right-footed shot just over Steve Mandanda's crossbar.
Anelka than had his own chance, after Kakuta had threaded him through, but although powerful, his shot was angled straight at the goalkeeper.
His next chance would be rather more straightforward, coming from the penalty spot after Stephane Mbia was adjudged to have handled Michael Essien's right wing cross. Anelka stepped up, shuffled and calmly slotted it low to the static goalkeeper's left.
Marseille continued to search for their first goal of this season's group stages, Benoit Cheyrou twice went close while Alex had to block a powerful effort inside his own area, but there was no denying who was firmly on top come half-time.
Cheyrou once more, a Gabriel Heinze overhead kick and a long-range Brandao drive kept Petr Cech busy as the second period commenced, and then Lucho had a powerful attempt kept out by Ashley Cole's knee.
Back on the attack, Chelsea almost had a third when Alex's deliciously vicious free-kick came back out off the inside of the post before John Mike Obi had to block substitute Andre Ayew's low drive.
Marseille were getting closer, and Chelsea deeper, but with the two-goal cushion it hardly looked as though the result was in doubt.
Essien cracked a side-footer against the top of the post as the Blues looked to put it out of reach, but other than these isolated incidents a third goal was looking as unlikely as Marseille finding their way back into a game that had begun to drift.
Mathieu Valbuena worked Cech with a low bender and a Chelsea passing move ended with Daniel Sturridge miscuing wide before Josh McEachran replaced Mikel in midfield for the final few minutes.
The youngster started the move that led to Chelsea's final chance, which worked down the left and back inside to Essien, who hit the woodwork for the second time of the evening.
That was the last of the action as Chelsea's 100 percent record continued, in a game where we had shown enterprise in the first half, and resistance in the second.
Chelsea(4-3-3):Cech; Ivanovic, Alex, Terry (c), Cole; Essien, Mikel (McEachran 87), Zhirkov (Sturridge 72); Kakuta (Ramires 61), Anelka, Malouda.
Scorers Terry 6, Anelka (pen) 27
Booked Mikel 81
Marseille (4-3-3): Mandanda (c); Kabore, Diawara, Mbia, Heinze; Lucho Gonzalez, Cisse, Cheyrou (Ayew 58); Remy, Gignac (Valbuena 58), Brandao.
Booked Mbia 26, Heinze 28
Shots on Chelsea 4 Marseille 5
Corners Chelsea 2 Marseille 2
Fouls Chelsea 14 Marseille 14
Offside Chelsea 8 Marseille 1
Monday, September 20, 2010
A Nicolas Anelka brace added to Michael Essien's opener before Daniel Sturridge made it four in the second half on a night when Josh McEachran made his debut.
It wasn't the best of performances in defence, as Zilina were gifted a goal in the second half, but plenty of early strikes meant they couldn't come back from a three-goal deficit.
Carlo Ancelotti had John Terry at his disposal, despite a premature ending to his weekend game against West Ham. He was the only player in tonight's line-up who took part in the last meeting between these two sides.
Frank Lampard, who played in the previous encounter, was still recovering from hernia surgery and like Ashley Cole didn't travel. The left-back was rested.
Yury Zhirkov replaced Cole at left-back and was one of three maiden starts in this campaign alongside Yossi Benayoun in midfield and Daniel Sturridge on right wing.
Having won the last eight opening clashes in the Champions League, Chelsea began this one with the usual zeal, although it was Zilina who threatened first when Zhirkov gifted Emil Rilke possession inside the box.
Chelsea retaliated with three chances inside the first 10 minutes. Benayoun's searching cross from the left was cleared before finding Florent Malouda, then Sturridge worked hard to release a pass in front of goal for the same man, again only for it to be cleared.
Benayoun forced the first save of the game when his corner was returned and the subsequent shot dipped towards the far right. Martin Dubravka was on hand to deny the Israeli.
Then, with 13 minutes gone, Chelsea took the lead when Nicolas Anelka made a ground-breaking run towards the box and pulled the ball back for Michael Essien at full sprint to smash home.
Cech was then forced into action, preventing a Robert Jez freekick from finding the bottom right while at full stretch.
An organised Zilina continued to push forward and Cech was called to make another save, preventing a Babatounde Bello header finding the net. It was end-to-end football.
Soon it would be 2-0. This time Anelka took his chance and drilled a left-footed, low shot into the net after Malouda fed his fellow Frenchman with a clever pass over the Zilina defence.
That was with 24 minutes played; four later it was 3-0. This time a Malouda corner found Terry, whose subsequent header ricocheted off the bar and into Anelka's path for our number 39 to easily tap home for his second.
Despite the scoreline, the Zilina crowd kept cheering, while the Chelsea representatives did the club proud in the corner, and with them spurring the side on, soon it was nearly four when Terry sent a brilliant pass to Zhirkov who in turn laid the ball off for Malouda, only for the shot to be deflected away from danger.
Cech's lightning quick reactions stopped an Admir Vladavic long-range effort from finding its target before a follow-up Bello header strayed wide just before half time.
There were no changes as the second half got under way and within minutes of the restart Sturridge, playing as central striker, broke through onto a superb Benayoun through ball to calmly slot past Dubravka.
We were well on the way to equalling our highest win in the Champions League, when we beat Galatasaray 5-0 back in 1999.
But then errors in the box gifted Zilina a goal. When Cech tipped a shot away and onto Ivanovic's head, the subsequent rebound fell goal-ward, and Oravec found the net. It was 4-1 after 55 minutes.
The goal spurred Zilina into further action and soon a Vladavic shot flew inches wide of a fully-stretched Cech.
With the four-goal lead established, Sturridge made way for Gael Kakuta on the hour mark while Zilina replaced Momodou Ceesay for Tomas Majtan.
The youngster got straight into the game and nearly set up Anelka with a brilliant run which cut straight through the Zilina back line. Unfortunately Anelka was deemed offside but Kakuta's intent had been shown.
Meanwhile, the Chelsea back line were struggling to deal with Zilina's attack. It was not the greatest performance from Chelsea's back line, although they were doing enough to keep the host's score at one.
With 78 minutes gone, Ancelotti brought 17-year-old Josh McEachran into the game for his debut. He replaced Benayoun in midfield while Zilina took Lubomir Guldan off for Stanislav Angelovic.
Dubravka failed to hold onto a screaming 30-yard shot from Essien, which resulted in a Chelsea throw-in. That in turn led to Malouda breaking into the box only to be cut down and appeal for a penalty, which wasn't given.
It was the last chance for Malouda because with two minutes left he made way for Patrick van Aanholt.
Zilina would have one more chance on goal with a freekick from 20 yards out before the final whistle, but the game ended as a comfortable start to our Champions League campaign.
By Christian Collison
Chelsea (4-3-3): Cech; Ivanovic, Alex, Terry (c), Zhirkov; Essien, Mikel, Benayoun (McEachran 78); Sturridge (Kakuta 61), Anelka, Malouda (van Aanholt 87).
Unused subs Turnbull, Ramires, Ferreira, Kalou.
Goals Essien 13, Anelka 24, 28, Sturridge 48
Zilina (4-2-3-1): Dubravka; Guldan (Angelovic 78), Piacek, Pecalka, Mraz; Jez (c), Bello; Rilke (Poliacek 57), Ceesay (Majtan 61), Vladavic; Oravec.
Unused subs Krnac, Leitner, Sourek, Vittor.
Goal Oravec 55
Referee: Bjorn Kuipers (Holland)
Attendance: 10,829
Shots on target Zilina 4 Chelsea 6
Fouls Zilina 6 Chelsea 7
Corners Zilina 3 Chelsea 4
Offsides Zilina 4 Chelsea 4
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Champions League Draw:Chelsea face Marseille Inter To Face Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United Draw Valencia, Barcelona And Rubin Kazan To Meet Again
The 2010-11 UEFA Champions League group stage is now set after the draw took place in Monaco on Thursday and it proposes some interesting match-ups and intriguing possibilities.
The trophy holders Inter have been dealt a tough hand in Group A as they will face-off against Werder Bremen, Tottenham Hotspur, and Twente. The likely group of death would seem to be Group G with Real Madrid, Milan, Ajax, and Auxerre.
Meanwhile, Barcelona in Group D will be relatively pleased to battle against Panathinaikos, Copenhagen, and Rubin Kazan.
Last year's finalists Bayern Munich also have a Germany - Italy duel versus Roma. Basel and Cluj round out Group E.
English giants Manchester United will take on Valencia, Bursaspor, and Rangers while Chelsea's Didier Drogba will visit his old stomping ground versus Marseille.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
The Problem Statement
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Chelsea were desperate to put their hands on the Champions trophy this season , but injuries caused them to go into the league with a poor line up which lacked creativity and penetrating power.Among the numerous injury vows , it was Essien that made a large impact on Chelsea line up. He used to be a powerful face in the Chelsea midfield who created chances as well as brought fluidity into their game. Missing out Bosingwa for the whole season was also a severe blow that Ancelotti faced though he tried to recover his miss using Ivanovic. Then came Ashley Cole , who was the master mind of all the attacks along left wing during the first half of the season. As he was sidelined for rest of the season , Ancelotti missed out another big gun from his armory.
Chelsea didn't do any major signings this season , the one being Zirkov and Sturridge , both of them didn't made ab impact on the team also.All expected a major signing in the form of a world class striker or attacking midfielder to assist Drogba up in the front. As neither of the signings didn't happen , it left Chelsea as team whom you can beat if you tied Drogba down.
Now that they are out of Champions League , Chelsea have to concentrate on winning EPL , where they still hold the first place in the table. But with matches pending against Manchester United and Liverpool , The Blues will have to win all the games from now on to bring the EPL trophy back to Stamford once again.
What ever may be the turn out at the end of this season , Chelsea will have to cash in next transfer season and bring in some class players to build a strong line up to claim all the trophies.
Jose Mourinho returned to Stamford Bridge in triumph as Inter Milan sent Chelsea crashing out of the Champions League.
Samuel Eto's clinical strike 11 minutes from time settled a scrappy encounter and sealed a place in the quarter-finals for Mourinho at the expense of the club he left in 2007 after a hugely successful three-and-a-half years.
And the misery for Chelsea and coach Carlo Ancelotti was complete when Didier Drogba was sent off in the closing minutes after a penalty area clash with Thiago Motta.
Mourinho's Inter were able to keep a subdued Chelsea at arm's length for the majority of a tense evening littered with fouls and spells of ill-feeling, with even the self-appointed "Special One" being targeted for abuse by the supporters who once idolised him as frustration spread around Stamford Bridge in the closing moments.
He celebrated in relatively muted fashion when Eto'o capped a spell of Inter pressure with the crucial goal, after Diego Milito had missed the chance to seal Chelsea's fate even earlier.
Chelsea had their moments in a frantic first half, with Michael Ballack shooting just wide and Nicolas Anelka seeing a close-range effort cleared off the line by Motta, while keeper Julio Cesar saved well from Florent Malouda after the break.
And Chelsea were also left claiming they were victims of a clear injustice in the first half when Drogba was dragged to the ground by Walter Samuel as they wrestled to reach a corner.
This apart, Inter were able to restrict Chelsea, who failed to show the wit and guile required to break them down, demonstrating the defensive discipline and resilience that is the trademark of any Mourinho team.
He did not milk Inter's win at the final whistle, but Mourinho may just appreciate the irony of the fact that he has ended Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich's dream of bringing the Champions League to Stamford Bridge.
For Ancelotti and Chelsea, the task is now to regroup and refocus their sights on the Premier League and the FA Cup.
Mourinho stated his attacking intent with the presence of Goran Pandev, Milito and Eto'o, but after a positive start the game soon descended into a predictable war of attrition.
Chelsea's Ballack posted the first moment of danger, but he dragged his shot low and wide past Cesar's upright from the edge of the area. Drogba was also denied by a defiant block from Maicon as he closed in on goal.
Mourinho won two league titles in three full seasons at Chelsea
Inter knew that vital away goal would leave Chelsea with a huge task, and Eto'o wasted a wonderful opportunity to provide it for them after 33 minutes.
Maicon's cross deceived John Terry, but Eto'o appeared surprised at getting the chance and directed a poor header down and well over the bar.
In a frantic finale to the first 45 minutes, Walter Samuel threw himself in front of Malouda as he drove into the box, while Motta rescued Inter with a goalline clearance as Anelka forced a shot beyond Cesar.
The tension was robbing the game of any real quality and also resulted in plenty of short tempers. And Chelsea were particularly infuriated when referee Wolfgang Stark ignored penalty appeals as Drogba was clearly dragged to the ground by Samuel as the grappled to reach a corner.
Both teams left the pitch to a frustrated chorus of jeering at the interval, with Chelsea coach Ray Wilkins clearly angry at the events of the first half.
Mourinho's gestures from the sidelines made it clear he wanted Inter to exploit the areas around Chelsea left-back Yuri Zhirkov, but the Russian full-back twice rescued his side with perfect challenges on Eto'o and Pandev as they closed in on keeper Ross Turnbull.
Malouda brought a fine save from Julio Cesar at his near post, but once again Chelsea were having trouble producing the invention needed to break the deadlock.
Ancelotti responded by sending on Joe Cole just after the hour, but this was only the signal for Inter to create, and waste, their best chance as Milito snatched at his effort with only Turnbull to beat, much to Stamford Bridge's relief.
Inter had been the more dangerous team after the break, and the killer away goal they had been threatening duly came with 11 minutes left. Wesley Sneijder's pass cut Chelsea apart and Eto's showed great expertise to guide his finish around Turnbull.
Mourinho indulged in some fairly low-key fist-pumping, but the rest of Inter's backroom staff and players celebrated wildly as Chelsea's players were forced to accept their Champions League hopes were over for another year.
As time ran out and emotions ran high, Drogba appeared to stand on Motta's foot and saw red. It was a moment that summed up Chelsea's miserable night.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Chelsea suffered a first leg defeat to former boss Jose Mourinho's Inter Milan in their Champions League last 16 tie.Inter got off to the perfect start when Diego Milito cut inside and fired in with only three minutes gone.
Chelsea rallied from the early blow and after Salomon Kalou was denied a strong first-half penalty claim he was on hand to fire Chelsea level after half-time.
Parity was short-lived, with Esteban Cambiasso drilling in to give Inter a narrow lead to take to Stamford Bridge.
Predictably, it was Mourinho who took centre stage as it was the first match against the club he led for two-and-a-half seasons, but this was an encounter laden with context.Current Blues boss Carlo Ancelotti led Inter's local rivals AC Milan with aplomb between 2001 and 2009 and this was the first time he has brought a side to the city since leaving for west London last summer.
In addition, there is the added spice that former Champions League winners Mourinho and Ancelotti - the Portuguese with Porto in 2004, the Italian with Milan in 2003 and 2007 - are managers charged with repeating their feat in Europe's premier club competition with their current clubs.
Under Mourinho, Chelsea were often accused of an overly cautious approach that came at the expense of entertainment, but Ancelotti affords his charges greater licence to be expansive and, on the front foot, they are an attractive team to watch.
Unfortunately, they are occasionally susceptible at the back as a result and Inter capitalised on this fallibility with their very first attack.
With the ball won just inside the Chelsea half, firstly Thiago Motta and then Samuel Eto'o fed the ball through for Milito who, with space afforded by Wesley Sneijder's presence, stepped inside John Terry and beat Petr Cech at the near post.
Despite falling behind, Chelsea were not overawed and slowly began to assert themselves on the game, claiming the greater share of possession and attacking with intent.
However, they were limited to a series of long-range efforts by a hard-working home side.Didier Drogba came closest with a powerfully struck 25-yard free-kick which beat Julio Cesar but struck the underside of the crossbar before being cleared to safety.
Ivory Coast international Drogba is the only African player with more career Champions League goals than ordinarily lethal Cameroonian Eto'o.
However, the Inter number nine missed a glorious opportunity to add to his tally of 18 Champions League goals just after the half-hour mark.
Sneijder cut in from the left and drove a low cross over for the centrally positioned Eto'o in plenty of space and only eight yards out but he badly miscued his effort.
The half ended in controversy when a mistake in midfield gave Kalou a clear run on goal, but before he was able to shoot he was felled by a last-ditch tackle from Walter Samuel.
Referee Mejuto Gonzalez waved away calls for a penalty but replays showed that Kalou's heels had been clipped by the defender.
Within five minutes of the restart Kalou's anger had turned to jubilation as he brought his side level.Branislav Ivanovic carried the ball deep into Inter territory, evading a number of challenges, before feeding Kalou 20 yards out and his side-foot shot beat Cesar and found the corner of the net.
Once again the sides were level but only for three minutes.Sneijder's cross from the right was headed away by Ricardo Carvalho to Cambiasso, whose first shot was blocked by Ivanovic but his second, from 18 yards was drilled perfectly into the far corner.It was a decisive blow so soon after Chelsea had deservedly levelled and the Blues never fully recovered their composure.
There were intermittent glimpses of their capabilities; most notably when Drogba and Nicolas Anelka combined for the latter to provide a golden chance for Frank Lampard eight yards out, but Cesar was equal to it.A single-goal first leg deficit will not worry Ancelotti, but the sight of goalkeeper Cech being carried injured from the pitch was more concerning with the season entering a crucial phase.Fears that Cech had badly damaged a knee were dispelled when it was revealed that he had suffered a calf injury.
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