Post by Salem6 on Feb 26, 2009 9:04:43 GMT
Champions League, Rd 2 1st leg - 25/2/09 (19.45 UK)
Chelsea 1 - 0 Juventus
Drogba 12 (C)
Stamford Bridge
Didier Drogba's early goal has given Chelsea a slender 1-0 first leg advantage over Juventus, but Mauro Camoranesi is injured again.
Claudio Ranieri returned to Stamford Bridge for the first time since he was fired in 2004, but faced Guus Hiddink on his Champions League debut with the club, having taken over last week following Phil Scolari's dismissal. Unlike Scolari, he opted to field an attacking line-up with Didier Drogba, Nicolas Anelka and Salomon Kalou. Both sides had injury worries, as Deco, Michael Essien, Joe Cole and Ricardo Carvalho were out, while Cristiano Zanetti, Hasan Salihamidzic, Paolo De Ceglie, Dario Knezevic and Jonathan Zebina did not make the trip.
Chelsea and Juve had never met before, but Juventus had lost their last five matches on English soil and won only two of a total 17. The Bianconeri were unbeaten in the Champions League this season.
John Terry stopped Amauri twice in the opening four minutes and Gigi Buffon - playing only his second Champions League game of the term - got down to smother a Kalou snapshot.
Drogba's diving header turned a Bosingwa cross over the bar from seven yards, as Chelsea continually pushed down Juve's left flank. Drogba had penalty appeals for a Molinaro nudge in the back, but the Portuguese referee waved play on.
The pressure was piling on and Drogba gave Chelsea an early lead after 12 minutes. A poor clearance allowed Kalou to put a through ball down the centre for Drogba, who spun on the edge of the offside trap to slide an angled drive into the far corner. Chiellini was keeping everyone in play for Drogba's 25th goal in 50 Champions League games.
Olof Mellberg at right-back charged down an Anelka effort and from the corner Drogba nodded well wide.
Juve replied on 22 minutes, as Tiago Mendes slipped a through ball in for Alex Del Piero, whose powerful angled drive was fingertipped round the far post by Petr Cech. Amauri touched on the corner, but Chiellini was just too late to get on the end of it.
It took two defenders to close down Molinaro's run down the left and on the ricochet Mauro Camoranesi's thunderbolt was deflected over the bar by Terry. Momo Sissoko picked up an injury when his shot was charged down. He was able to carry on after several minutes of treatment and a change of boots.
Ashley Cole escaped a yellow card after his sliding tackle on Del Piero, who had played his way out of defence with a smart turn. A tame Nedved shot failed to make the most of a defensive error from Bosingwa.
Juve started the second half fired up, as Del Piero and Nicola Legrottaglie had chances charged down for a corner, but Drogba's header whistled wide of the near post from Bosingwa's cross.
Camoranesi had a slight back problem before half-time, but straight after the restart pulled up clutching the back of his right thigh. The World Cup winner's injury-ravaged season continues in fits and starts.
Molinaro went into the book for a horrific tackle on Kalou's shin and was frankly fortunate to avoid a straight red. Soon after a particularly crunching challenge between Chiellini and Kalou only served to burst the football!
Drogba was furious when he ran into the box and Chiellini did enough to muscle him off the ball before he could pull the trigger. More Chiellini defending blocked Kalou and Buffon smothered a Frank Lampard effort.
Michael Ballack was booked for hacking down Nedved in a challenge equally as bad as Molinaro's, as his foot was so high it got the Czech's knee.
There was chaos in the Chelsea box when Cech twice fumbled a Del Piero free kick and scrambled to keep Amauri from turning, using his body to stop the Brazilian getting to it.
Marco Marchionni skipped past Cole and fired inches over the bar, but Claudio Marchisio replaced Tiago. Del Piero's glancing header went wide from Marchionni's cross, while Michael Ballack's crucial intervention took Amauri's knockdown off Nedved's foot from 10 yards.
Amauri rose above Alex for a header blocked low by Cech. Florent Malouda replaced Kalou, but Amauri was stepping up the pace and he went past two down the right flank before his cross was cut out for a corner.
Marchisio rode two tough challenges to drill wide from outside the box. Soon after Marchisio sprung the offside trap to run into acres of space, but the ball over the top was just too long to control, as Juve were having a period of sustained pressure at Stamford Bridge.
Amauri harshly had the free kick given against him when he muscled Terry off the ball and was sparking a counter. Michael Mancienne replaced Ballack and Sissoko was also booked for going through the back of Malouda.
Drogba went shoulder to shoulder with Chiellini, but again the referee waved play on, as the Italian showed remarkable strength. For the final minutes Juve went for the trident, as David Trezeguet replaced a disappointing Sissoko, moving Nedved to central midfield.
Anelka drilled a screamer from 20 metres that whipped just wide of the far post. Trezeguet's first touch was a great chance, as Del Piero's divine pass over the top sent the Frenchman through, but he scuffed the volley off target.
Legrottaglie's foolish run forward saw him lose the ball, so Marchisio had to commit a handball to stop the counter-attack in the final minute of normal time. Juve were pushing hard in stoppages and Del Piero's free kick was cleared with great difficulty. In the final seconds Nedved's deflected strike shaved a coat of paint off the base of the upright, but Juve were denied the corner.
<Post-Match Comments
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Chelsea: Cech; A Cole, Terry, Alex, Bosingwa; Ballack (Mancienne 81), Mikel Obi, Lampard; Anelka, Drogba, Kalou (Malouda 72)
Juventus: Buffon; Mellberg, Chiellini, Legrottaglie, Molinaro; Camoranesi (Marchionni 52), Tiago (Marchisio 62), Sissoko (Trezeguet 86), Nedved; Del Piero, Amauri
Ref: Benquerenca (Por)
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