Salute the incredibles! Terry off, 2-0 down but brave Blues hit back to reach final

Barcelona 2 Chelsea 2 (agg 2-3): Salute the incredibles! Terry off, 2-0 down but brave Blues hit back to reach final

By MATT LAWTON

PUBLISHED: 21:41, 24 April 2012 | UPDATED: 00:49, 25 April 2012

• Comments (349)
• Share

Amid the chaos created by a captain’s insane indiscipline, Chelsea’s Incredibles emerged on Tuesday night.

This was a group of players who somehow survived for 54 minutes in the absence of the dismissed John Terry and secured their passage to the Champions League final; a team who stopped a Barcelona side that had already scored 102 goals at home this season before this semi-final began.

In doing so, they joined the ranks of the European greats.

Magic moment: Torres celebrates after bagging the goal which confirmed Chelsea's position in the final

MATCH FACTS

Barcelona: Valdes, Puyol, Pique (Dani Alves 26), Mascherano, Xavi, Busquets, Iniesta, Cuenca (Tello 58), Messi, Sanchez, Fabregas (Keita 74).

Subs not used: Pinto, Thiago, Pedro, Adriano. 

Booked: Iniesta, Messi.

Goals: Busquets 35, Iniesta 43.

Chelsea: Cech, Ivanovic, Cahill (Bosingwa 12), Terry, Cole, Obi, Meireles, Mata (Kalou 58), Lampard, Ramires, Drogba (Torres 80).

Subs not used: Turnbull, Essien, Malouda, Sturridge.

Booked: Cech, Ivanovic, Ramires, Lampard Mikel.

Sent off: Terry.

Goals: Ramires 45+1, Torres 90+2

Referee: Cuneyt Cakir (Turkey)

It was not just the loss of Terry that presented them with a problem. It was not just that, with only 10 men, they were facing the finest team the world has ever seen. It was the fact they triumphed  without a single centre half on the pitch, having already lost Gary Cahill to injury.

Manager Roberto Di Matteo was whistling when he walked through the media zone shortly after the final whistle, cool as you like.

But an Italian — who might just lose the ‘interim’ part of his job title before long — had masterminded an astonishing victory. 

It was a performance that might have superseded Manchester United’s display on this same Nou Camp pitch in 1999, when they beat Bayern Munich in the final. It  might even have been the most extraordinary contest witnessed in this competition.

By the end Di Matteo had organised his side in a 6-3 formation, with Salomon Kalou doubling up alongside Ramires at right back and Fernando Torres sitting outside Ashley Cole at left back. Want to know how to cope with Barcelona’s big pitch? Just play four full backs.

Opener: Busquets opens the scoring on the night - sliding the ball home from seven yards out and celebrates (below)

That Ramires and Torres also scored Chelsea’s goals made it all the more memorable and that bit more special. The first came from the Brazilian just before the interval when it seemed Barcelona were on the road to Bavaria, while Torres added the coup de grace in second-half stoppage time.

Together with Terry, Branislav Ivanovic and Raul Meireles, Ramires will miss the final because of the booking he received here last night. But that did not stop him sprinting the full length of the  field, from his new position in the makeshift back-four, to run on to a pass from Frank Lampard before sending a quite brilliant chip over the advancing Victor Valdes and into the net.

Double your money: Iniesta rounds off a wonderful move to extend Barca's lead on the night

It was amazing. It was Roy Keane — who missed that 1999 final — in a Chelsea shirt. It was enough to make grown men cry.

When Chelsea fans who were here share their recollections of the night, they will reflect on that moment in the  context of the 10 or so  dramatic minutes that came before.  

Chelsea had done well to limit Barcelona to one decent chance in the opening half an hour, with Petr Cech denying Lionel Messi after the best player on the planet had executed a marvellous one-two with Cesc Fabregas. 

Smash and grab: Chelsea found themselves back in charge via Ramires' delicate strike on the stroke of half-time

But it was looking ominous for the visitors the moment they lost Cahill to injury after only 12 minutes, forcing  Di Matteo to deploy Jose Bosingwa on the flank and move Ivanovic to centre half.

In those 10 first-half minutes, though, Chelsea appeared to  collapse and capitulate.

It started when Sergio Busquets met a neat cross from Isaac Cuenca to score, continued two minutes later when Terry mindlessly drove his knee into the leg of Alexis Sanchez and concluded with Andres Iniesta dropping off the right shoulder of Ramires — now at right back thanks to the need to switch Bosingwa to centre-half — to collect a wonderful pass from Messi before slipping his shot beyond the reach of Cech. 

Seeing red: Chelsea were right up against it after being reduced to ten men when captain Terry was sent off

Surely it was game over. Surely Barcelona would succeed only in building on their lead and leave Terry to reflect on yet more Champions League misery — a penalty for his madness to add to the  penalty he missed in Moscow.

But then came the comeback of comebacks — a defiant fight for survival that will strike fear into whichever side they meet in Munich on May 19. 

Taking a tumble: Valdes, Drogba and Pique collide, leaving the Barca defender out for the count

The goal from Ramires nearly counted for nothing when, two minutes after the break, Fabregas appeared to dive after a challenge from Didier Drogba in the penalty area and Messi was invited by referee Cuneyt Cakir to score from the spot. But Messi had never scored in seven previous meetings with Chelsea and that record was extended to eight when his effort crashed off Cech’s bar and bounced to safety.

Flashpoint: The players lost their composure briefly in the second-half after the the Barca bench celebrate the opener (below)

Even then, it only seemed a  matter of time before the Catalans would score again. 

Sanchez had one goal ruled out for offside, while Messi was denied by the brilliance of Cech when the Chelsea goalkeeper diverted another shot against a post.

That Di Matteo’s makeshift side survived a further 43 minutes after Messi’s penalty miss was remarkable, but it was the product of  serious hard graft and intense concentration — defending at its finest.

Blue is the colour! Chelsea celebrate after Torres' late goal rounded off a memorable night for the west Londoners

In front of the defensive line stood three midfielders in Frank Lampard, Meireles and John Mikel Obi who battled every bit as courageously, demonstrating exactly why this Barcelona team do not like playing against them.

That Chelsea scored a second goal was irrelevant in the end, even if it did add to the joy for the visitors and the despair for the hosts. 

All smiles: Di Matteo celebrates the most unlikely of victories after Torres rounded Valdes to score the second

Torres must have loved it, though, racing clear in pursuit of a ball forward from Ivanovic before casually taking it around Valdes and scoring into an empty net.

Pure delight: Chelsea players and staff race onto the pitch on the full time whistle

Di Matteo had said his side would need to produce ‘two perfect  performances’ to win this semi-final, but not even he would have envisaged this.

Take a bow, Chelsea’s Incredibles.

Roll on Munich: Chelsea will face Real Madrid or Bayern in the final

SOURCE: Daily Mail

Read More

Down-to-earth millionaire footballer: Didier Drogba's low key wedding

So some footballers CAN behave themselves? Chelsea star Didier Drogba marries his long-term partner in a private ceremony

By Marcus Barnes

Last updated at 7:36 PM on 13th June 2011

With the almost incessant scandals that emerge from the world of football it's refreshing to find that some players can behave themselves.

Take Didier Drogba for instance - the Chelsea star married his long-term partner this weekend in a private ceremony minus the opulence commonly associated with the world of millionaire footballers.

Drogba, 33, tied the knot with Lalla Diakite at the at the Marie de Monaco in Monaco.

Here comes the bride: It was a real family affair for the millionaire footballer

The centre forward sported a simple grey suit for the ceremony, while his wife also kept it relatively simple in a plain white gown.

Meanwhile the bridesmaids wore lilac outfits.

The ceremony was officiated by club owner Roman Abramovich, with his team-mates Salomon Kalou and Florent Malouda among the groom’s men.

RnB superstar Akon and a host of stars from NBA were also said to be included on the list of guests for the event.

Didier also flew in singer J.Martins from Nigeria.

The football is said to be a fan of the singer after hearing his collaboration with Congolese music star, Fally Ipupa, on the song, Jupa Remix.

Dream wedding: The Chelsea star pulled out all the stops to make sure that the ceremony was a special day for his new wife

In fact, according to a source it was originally Ipupa who was invited to the wedding, a source says.

Long-term love: Drogba and his now-wife Lalla at a London party last September

The source claimed: 'Drogba really loves the song and he thought it was Fally Ipupa’s.

'So, when his management got across to Fally to perform at the wedding to sing specified songs, he told them that Jupa Remix was not his. And that for him to perform it at the wedding, his collaborator, the owner of the song, had to be there.'

Didier and his bride met in 1999 when he was in the early stages of his career in Paris, they have three children together and maintain a relatively private life apart from Drogba's infrequent visits to west end clubs with his team mates.

And, although the setting and guestlist were both indicative of the football star's wealth, Drogba kept his day as simple as he could.

A source told The Sun: 'Didier isn't interested in celebrity magazine deals or needless expense.

'He just wants a private wedding with his closest friends and family. He wants to give Lalla the wedding of her dreams because they couldn't afford much when they got together as youngsters in France.'

Meanwhile, one of Drogba's good friends, Ghanian star Michael Essien, travelled 3,000 kilometres to make an appearance at the wedding.

                                          

Cancelled: Ashley Young and Liam Ridgewell both halted their weddings before they'd even happened

Essien took part in Nigerian star Kanu's testimonial game on Saturday and flew to Monaco so he could honour his commitments to both men.

Chelsea star Drogba wasn't the only footballer with wedding news this weekend.

                        

Manchester City player Vincent Kompany and Tottenham's Luka Modric also wed over the weekend.

While Birmingham City player Liam Ridgewell called off his £170,000 wedding by sending a text to guests just eight days before the ceremony.

Better luck: Luka Modric and Vincent Kompany both tied the knot this weekend

The defender, 26, had planned to tie the knot with girlfriend Kirsty Maclaren, 23, in front of 200 people next Saturday.

Instead they sent a message saying it was cancelled.

It read: 'It’s not been an easy decision but it is mutual. We ask for your understanding at this hard time.'

The news came 24 hours after Manchester United star Ashley Young called off his marriage to Nicky Pike, 26 – just two days before the ceremony

 

SOURCE: Daily Mail

Read More

Salomon Kalou: It's hard playing and not thinking about people dying

Chelsea striker tells Stuart James he has more than football on his mind – his father is caught up in the Ivory Coast conflict

Salomon Kalou has a huge weight on his mind and it has nothing to do with Chelsea's Champions League defeat against Manchester United in midweek. The prospect of finishing the season at Stamford Bridge without a trophy is hard to contemplate but it pales into insignificance compared with the heartache Kalou feels when he turns his thoughts to his family and friends caught up in the conflict in the Ivory Coast.

The bitter and bloody fallout from last November's presidential elections has plunged the country where Kalou spent the first 17 years of his life back into civil war. Thousands have been killed and the harrowing images of the street battles in Abidjan, where his father, Antoine, and other members of his extended family live, together with the stories of food and water shortages in what was once West Africa's most prosperous country, plague Kalou's conscience.

"It's very hard to go on to the pitch and say I'm not thinking about people dying every day, I'm not thinking about my friends not eating, my dad not getting help," Kalou says. "To be honest, I worry every day. I am thinking more about that than anything else. Any chance I have to go on the phone or to go on the news and check I do, because that's my main priority. I need to make sure my family are safe.

"I got my mum and five sisters out four days before it started. When we played against Benin in Ghana last month with Ivory Coast [in an African Cup of Nations qualifier moved to a neutral venue because of the violence], I got them to come and watch the game and from there they went to Togo. They can stay there until the end of the situation. My dad was going to come as well but the war started on the day he was going to come."

Kalou acknowledges he is in a fortunate position to be able to afford sanctuary for his mother and sisters in Togo for as long as they need it, but he feels "helpless" in relation to his father's predicament. The problems in Abidjan mean that, at the time of this interview, which takes place at his home in Surrey on Thursday evening, Kalou has gone three days without speaking to his father. He is desperate to hear news of a peaceful resolution.

"I don't want to take any sides and I don't want to get involved in the politics of the Ivory Coast because politics is for politicians, but it hurts me to see my friends, my brothers, killing each other," he says. "Some of my best friends are from the north, I'm from the west, I have friends from the south – I have a lot of Ivorian friends. Ivorians don't have problems with Ivorians. Politics are dividing people. But is that a reason for people to kill? Why not stop that now and talk.

People from outside should help to bring peace. Bring food and water to people. That's what I call worrying about the civilians. Then I can have respect for that and say those people really care. If your priority is to say one side loses and one side wins, then you are not stopping anything. They will keep fighting and, in the end, when everyone is gone, what is left for those people? Those kids who have seen the war and people dying, how many years is it going to take for them to get over it?"

Although Kalou admits it is impossible to erase those questions from his mind, the football pitch at least provides a place to try to escape. His only wish is that he spent much more time immersing himself in playing, rather than watching from the substitutes' bench, which was again the case on Wednesday night, when Chelsea lost 1-0 to United and Kalou was forced to endure the familiar sight of the strikers picked ahead of him fluffing their lines.

It is a frustrating situation, especially as this season Kalou has by far the best goals-to-minutes ratio in the Premier League of the four Chelsea forwards and is second only to Nicolas Anelka in all competitions. "That speaks for itself," Kalou says as he runs his eyes over the figures. "I think a player can be great if you have the opportunity to play every week and show what you can do. If you take a player like [Lionel] Messi and you don't play him, you won't see how good he is.

"All along my time at Chelsea there is always a big name playing and that makes it difficult for the manager to put me in the team. And I understand that, because coming in as a young player in a big club, you have to fight your way through. But I have been here for five years, scored over 50 goals for the club and there are some big players who have been here who haven't done that. But I think the fans appreciate my record."

Kalou reels off the names of Hernán Crespo, Andriy Shevchenko, Mateja Kezman and Claudio Pizarro to illustrate his point. It is tempting to wonder whether the much-maligned Fernando Torres will be next on the list, although Kalou insists he is pleased the Spaniard signed. "The arrival of Torres is a benefit to me because now I get to play my real position, behind the striker – that's where I was playing before I joined Chelsea. I played with Torres against Manchester City and I thought it was really good. We had very good movement and created chances."

Chelsea triumphed 2-0 that day, although it was the only match Kalou has started in the last seven, raising the obvious question about what he can do to change things. "I think I can talk to the club and see what my position is because it's frustrating to not get involved knowing that you're playing better than others," the former Feyenoord striker says. "I did speak to Carlo Ancelotti. He is an understanding man. He knows what I feel as a player because he played before."

Will it get to the stage where he thinks he has to go to a club where he will be the main forward? "Of course. I think about it all the time," Kalou says. "That's what my goal is [to be the first choice]. If you look at those statistics, if I play double the games, I'm sure I can do better than that. I think people know and I think the club know – they never let me go or try to sell me. I believe that my time is coming at Chelsea, and if it's not at Chelsea it will be at another team."

Yet Kalou is such an affable, laid-back character that it is difficult to imagine him making demands or creating a scene when overlooked. "If I'm not happy I'm not playing, I don't really show my emotions," the 25-year-old admits. "Sometimes, maybe I should show more because it's good for the manager to know that the player is pissed off not to play. I'm relaxed and easy-going and people think that whatever he gets to play he will be happy. But that's not the case sometimes."

For Kalou, though, it is about "showing respect" for his team-mates when he is left out and supporting them, which helps to explain why he is so well liked at Chelsea at all levels. He smiles knowingly when it is suggested he is popular with Roman Abramovich, the club's owner, and the rest of the board.

"They know that I never complain, never make trouble and never try to bring the club's image down. They have the belief that most of the players who will complain will be doing crazy stuff in training and not training well and that's not the case with me, so I think they respect that and they also have respect for the fact that, even though I am not playing, I can have better statistics than the player who does."

One statistic Kalou would prefer not to have to his name, however, is the club record he broke last Saturday at Stoke, when he made his 94th substitute appearance for Chelsea. "It's like getting a plastic medal. It's kind of like, you've done good to be a sub. That's not what I want," he says, shaking his head. "I want to have a real impact as an important player for Chelsea because I know I have the ability to do that.

"The only thing is to be playing regularly and have the confidence and rhythm of those games. Then you can show what you can do. If you can play 20 minutes and change a game, you can change a game in 90 minutes."

The evidence of one of his more recent contributions from the bench can be found in his lounge, where the man-of-the-match champagne from the Blackpool game last month, when he replaced Didier Drogba to create two Chelsea goals in a 3-1 victory, sits next to the signed ball he took home after scoring a hat-trick against Stoke City 12 months ago. One of Usain Bolt's running shoes, a picture of Diego Maradona in his prime and a signed Muhammad Ali boxing glove complete the sporting backdrop.

Kalou gives a guided tour of the rest of the house, which is decorated with shirts from some of the world's greatest players, as an interview that lasts the length of time he would like to spend on the pitch against Wigan on Saturday draws to a close. One conversation, though, is difficult to leave behind. "We need to stop the war," he says. "What I worry about is my family to not get hurt and my country to not get destroyed. My concern is not who is going to govern. My main concern is peace."

SOURCE:The Guardian

Read More

Chelsea Wakijirusha 'Mtaani' Kusherehekea Ubingwa

Picha kwa Hisani ya Daily Mail

Read More

ANCELOTTI NEW CHELSEA BOSS

That's confirmed.He will reportedly have more than £50 Million to spend on signing new players.Rumours has it that Salomon Kalou and Florent Malouda could face the chop.

Read More