Chelsea 0 Inter Milan 1 (agg 1-3): Eto'o ensures Jose's return is a special one

17 March 2010 01:44
As Jose Mourinho said, he continues to win the important ones. The ones that really matter. The special ones, you might say.[LNB]He won this one with a performance from Inter Milan that proved he had indeed done his homework. That demonstrated how much he had learnt from the three-and-a-half years he enjoyed here at Stamford Bridge and those seven frame-by-frame examinations of the first leg of this tie at the San Siro.[LNB]Mourinho did a number on the Chelsea players he says he still loves as well as the Chelsea manager he has rather less affection for. This was a triumph for tactical brilliance as well as courage and determination. [LNB] Match-winner: Samuel Eto'o slots home the only goal of the game [LNB]A victory for a manager who might not always entertain the purists but seems to deliver on his promise of big prizes.[LNB]There was no prize on offer on Tuesday night other than a place inthe Champions League quarter-finals but for Carlo Ancelotti and hisangry, exasperated players the trophy they so desired had neverthelesseluded them.[LNB][LNB] [LNB] [LNB]Jose Mourinho (centre) celebrates Eto'o's goal[LNB]Why? Because the Italian champions were much the superior side. Theywere better organised; better on the ball; better in Milan, when theyestablished a 2-1 advantage, and better here again.[LNB]In Samuel Eto'o they had their goalscorer and in the brilliant Luciothe perfect answer to Didier Drogba. So brilliant on this occasion thatDrogba eventually allowed that temper to get the better of him andreceived a straight red card for a clash with Thiago Motta in the finalfew minutes.[LNB]While Chelsea lacked their usual fluency, the Italian champions struck a perfect balance between defence and attack. [LNB]Walter Samuel, Maicon and Javier Zanetti were immense alongsideLucio; Esteban Cambiasso and Motta terrific in the way they bothprotected their back four and controlled Chelsea's midfield.[LNB]And alongside Eto'o, who could have had a hat-trick, WesleySneijder, Diego Milito and Goran Pandev posed a constant threat toChelsea's makeshift defence.[LNB]Chelsea were disappointing. They might have deserved a penalty whenSamuel wrestled Drogba to the ground but this was not one to file awaywith the cruel luck of their European past. [LNB]They froze on Tuesday night, intimidated seemingly by the presenceof their former master. Only Florent Malouda really impressed forChelsea.[LNB] [LNB] Mobbed: Eto'o celebrates with team-mates after scoring[LNB]It amounted to the nightmare scenario for Ancelotti. The Italian wasbrought here to repeat what he had done on two occasions at AC Milanand deliver the ultimate prize to Roman Abramovich. Not lose to thepetulant Portuguese the Russian eventually got sick of and sacked. [LNB]The pressure, we presume, will now be on Ancelotti, such is the madness in the court of Roman.[LNB]Never had Ancelotti seen his Chelsea side fail to score at StamfordBridge but Mourinho has quite a record of his own here and it was histhat remained intact. He will say he has never lost to an English sidein this stadium, so that remarkable run continues.[LNB]Never has Mourinho lost two games on the bounce since he took chargeof Inter and at no stage did he look like suffering such a setback inthis tense encounter. [LNB]Chelsea's opportunities were limited, their failiure to force adecent save from Julio Cesar a measure of just how disappointing theywere.[LNB] Marching orders: Didier Drogba saw red after a stamp on Motta [LNB]As Ancelotti admitted afterwards, Inter were always in control andalways dangerous on the counter- attack, with Eto'o and Pandev workingtirelessly on the flanks. [LNB]It took a brave block from John Terry to deny Sneijder, as it didwhen Maicon stopped Drogba from scoring and Samuel when he did much thesame to Malouda.[LNB]But the best chance of the opening half fell to Eto'o in the 35thminute when he met a cross from Maicon with a header that really shouldhave hit the target and Mourinho's men continued to dominate after thebreak.[LNB]Clear with only the inexperienced Ross Turnbull to beat, Eto'oreally should have struck when he allowed himself to be tackled byBranislav Ivanovic. As should Pandev and Milito when Yuri Zhirkovproduced a perfectly timed tackle to rescue the first situation beforeInter's Argentine forward put his shot wide.[LNB]Squaring up: Didier Drogba comes face-to-face with Inter defender Lucio [LNB]Desperate to see his side score the one goal that could have sentthem through to the last eight, Ancelotti first unleashed Joe Cole andthen Salomon Kalou from the bench. But it was to no avail. [LNB]MATCH FACTSCHELSEA (4-3-3): Turnbull 6; Ivanovic 6, Alex 7, Terry 6, Zhirkov 6 (Kalou73min, 6); Ballack 5 (Cole 62, 6), Mikel 6, Lampard 6; Anelka 6, Drogba 7, Malouda 7[LNB]Booked: Malouda, Drogba, Terry[LNB]Sent off: Drogba[LNB]INTER MILAN (4-2-3-1): Julio Cesar 6; Maicon 7, Lucio 7, Samuel 8, Zanetti 6; Cambiasso 7, Thiago Motta 7; Eto'o 7, Sneijder 6 (Mariga 85), Pandev 6; Milito 6[LNB]Booked: Eto'o, Thiago Motta, Lucio, Julio CesarMan of the match: Walter Samuel[LNB]Referee: Wolfgang Stark (Germany) [LNB]Inter responded accordingly and then produced the goal that leftChelsea with 12 minutes to score the two in return they needed to forcethe tie into extra time.[LNB]It was classic Eto'o. A goal that was as much about his pace as hisfinishing ability. First came the burst of acceleration that enabledhim to get on to Sneijder's ball and then the finish that bothexploited Terry's failure to play him offside and Turnbull's inabilityto charge down the shot.[LNB]The desire to run down the touchline in celebration must have beenimmense for Mourinho but this being Chelsea, he limited himself to ashake of the fists before then returning to his seat. It was for othersto jump for joy. This time anyway.[LNB] [LNB]Block: Inter goalkeeper Julio Cesar keeps out an effort from Anelka [LNB] [LNB] [LNB] [LNB] [LNB]To end the match as they did with Drogba getting sent off andTerry berating the referee was sadly typical of Chelsea. But thenthey learnt that from the master too. [LNB]This time, though, Abramovich had to walk across the pitch to thesound of the visiting fans singing the Special One's name. As Mourinhocould no doubt tell him, Ancelotti might want to watch out.[LNB] So, haven't we been here before, Didier?Didier Drogba's late red card against Inter made it an unwanted hat-trick of Champions League shame. [LNB]For the third successive season, Chelsea's failure coincided with Drogba bringing disgrace upon his club.[LNB]In 2008, he was dismissed late against Manchester United in the final for slapping Nemanja Vidic so was unable to take a penalty as they lost the shoot-out.[LNB] Last season, Drogba aimed a foul-mouthed rant at TV cameras after blowing his top with referee Tom Henning Ovrebo following defeat by Barcelona[LNB]And with a suspended ban hanging over him, he last night stamped on Inter's Thiago Motta. UEFA could now decide to kick him out for up to five games.[LNB] GRAHAM POLL: German inefficiency robbed Chelsea of two deserved penalties against Jose Mourinho's Inter MilanLucio shines for Inter Milan as Jose Mourinho's side dump Chelsea out of Champions LeagueI'm the enemy and I won! Revenge for Jose Mourinho, shame for Didier Drogba as Inter Milan KO ChelseaLucio's king of the jungle: Roaring Chelsea power show by a Brazilian beastCHELSEA FC

Source: Daily_Mail