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  • Essien (19), Drogba (26)
  • Zewlakow (6), Mirosavljevic (87)
  • Date:2009-12-08
  • Kick-off:19:45
  • Venue:Stamford Bridge
  • Attendance:40917
  • Referee:Trefoloni, M

Live Commentary

90mins

Full-time: CHELSEA 2 - 2 APOEL.

90mins

A Chelsea corner finds Terry who opts to control it before the danger is cleared

90mins

Cole has the chance to win it with a free shot on the edge of the area, but his side-footed effort is tame and straight at Chiotis

90mins

Nervy times for Chelsea as Apoel look to break at every opportunity. Three minutes to be added on

87mins

CHELSEA 2 - 2 APOEL: MIROSAVLJEVIC accepts a gift from John Obi Mikel who loses the ball in his own half. Apoel's top scorer sprints clear and calmly taps home past Turnbull to give the visitors a European lifeline

86mins

Another goal is ruled out for offside for Chelsea. Borini's bicycle kick is saved, before Terry strikes the rebound home. But the defender was offside from the original strike

83mins

Final sub for Apoel. Mario Breska is on for the goalscorer, Zewlakow

82mins

Space opens up for Jose Helio Pinto, but his shot from distance carries on rising as it gets closer to Turnbull's goal

80mins

Cole rolls the ball in to Borini who is almost at the byline when he shoots across the six-yard area. His effort has Chiotis beaten, but also beats the far post

77mins

Lampard's corner is half-cleared before Belletti gets the ball under control on the edge of the area. With his less-favoured left foot, he unleashes a shot which loops closer to the corner flag

76mins

Chelsea press and probe from flank to flank until Malouda decides to shoot from range. It is deflected. Corner

73mins

Fabio Borini comes on for the impressive Kakuta

72mins

Malouda gets his head up in space and crashes a shot in from 25 yards. It is wide

70mins

Nenad Mirosavljevic replaces Kosowski

70mins

Cole dinks a cross-cum-shot to the middle which bounces off the top of the crossbar, though Chiotis seemed to have it covered

69mins

Play has become slightly disjointed from Chelsea's perspective, while the visitors are growing in confidence

65mins

The rain continues to lash down at the Bridge

63mins

Belletti skips past a defender and puts his boot through the ball, but the product is neither a cross nor a shot as it flies wide of goal

62mins

Kowowski heads the corner clear

62mins

Zhirkov lays a ball back for Cole who hits it ffirst time from outside the area. A deflection sees the ball fly over the top for a corner

60mins

It's been a bright patch in the game for Apoel, though they are unable to sustain any serious pressure on the Chelsea backline

59mins

Belletti's clearance is cut out by Nuno Morais who sprints clear. But the former Barcelona full-back recovers to force a corner

56mins

Drogba is fouled and dusts himself off to take the free-kick. In an attempt to repeat his heroics at Arsenal recently, his looping effort flashes wide of Chiotis' left post

52mins

Nuno Morais pings a right foot shot from distance which is deflected off Terry. Turnbull does remarkably well to beat the ball away at his left post

51mins

Cole sprints forward and rides a challenge. In space and with a bouncing ball, he chooses to let fly from 30 yards. The ball is dipping but goes comfortably over the crossbar

50mins

Running from the same script as in the first half, Chelsea continue to dominate possession

48mins

Worryingly, Drogba is limping. Kakuta breaks free a fizzes a low ball across the area which almost finds Cole. Perhaps if Drogba was not receiving treatment, he would have been on the end of the cross

46mins

Action resumes

45mins

Half-time: CHELSEA 2 - 1 APOEL

45mins

Two extra minutes

45mins

Drogba takes it himself and the ball trickles out to Lampard who is urged to shoot by 40,000 Blues fans. Unusually for him, his effort is high and wide of the target

45mins

Drogba punts in a hopeful ball which takes a deflection for a corner

43mins

Drogba tees up Lampard who is 25 yards out. His low shot is narrowly wide and had Chiotis sweating

43mins

Some neat play on the edge of the area presents Lampard with an opportunity to shoot, but his effort is blocked and trickles through to the goalkeeper

41mins

Apoel go up the other end and win a corner after Terry cleared a cross when numbers were relatively even between attack and defence. The dead ball is cleared

40mins

Kakuta plays a beautiful ball through the middle for Cole who looks certain to score. But as he opens his body to shoot, Soares Paulo Jorge somehow gets back and pokes the ball away from him

39mins

Malouda tries his luck from distance and connects sweetly with his left foot, but the ball was always going wide

36mins

Chelsea have taken a rest from the attacking onslaughts of the previous 20 minutes, but are still playing inside the Apoel half

34mins

Haxhi makes way for Marios Elia

32mins

Altin Haxhi pulls up when in possession and favours his hamstring. Another replacement looks imminent

31mins

The away fans are still in full voice but their side are being thoroughly overpowered now

26mins

Lampard is brought on for the crocked Essien

26mins

CHELSEA 2 - 1 APOEL: Gael Kakuta's run into midfield opens space for Zhirkov on the left and the Russian pulls the ball back immediately on receipt of the pass. DROGBA fires home into the bottom right corner of Chiotis' goal

25mins

Despite the loss of Essien, the Blues are much more settled now and are preventing the visitors from playing

23mins

Essien limps off and heads straight down the tunnel

19mins

CHELSEA 1 - 1 APOEL: MICHAEL ESSIEN levels in spectacular fashion by skipping past a defender and thundering a trademark 25-yard strike past Chiotis who could barely react before the ball had hit the back of the net

18mins

Zhirkov is booked for a foul.

17mins

Apoel keeper Dionisios Chiotis half clears with his fist before the ball is ushered away

17mins

The combination of Zhirkov and Cole once again wins a corner

15mins

Juliano Belletti, midway through the Apoel half, flights a ball across the penalty area towards Didier Drogba but the frontman heads harmlessly out of play

12mins

Chelsea have the ball in the back of the net but the goal is chalked off by the linesman's offside flag. Florent Malouda's cross found the head of Cole who nodded home from six yards to be adjudged to be in an offside position

10mins

Cole takes once again but little danger prevails

10mins

Cole and Zhirkov combine down the left and the Russian's cross forces a corner

6mins

CHELSEA 0 - 1 APOEL: The home crowd are stunned as MARCIN ZEWLAKOW slides the ball home after a neat move down the left saw Costas Charalambides square

4mins

With Chelsea expecting a cross, the dead ball is worked short and catches the Blues out. A ball into the area causes a slight mellet, before Turnbull beats the ball clear

4mins

Apoel are awarded a free-kick in a dangerous position

3mins

Cole takes and flights it towards John Terry and Ricardo Carvalho. The former appears to get his head on it first, though it is slightly misdirected and lands on the roof of the net

2mins

Yuri Zhirkov wins the Blues a corner

1mins

Some smart early possession from Apoel ends when Kamil Kosowski's cross is easily cleared

1mins

The away side get the game underway

0mins

Nicolas Anelka and Frank Lampard drop to the bench, while Joe Cole continues his first team comeback as support to Didier Drogba

0mins

Petr Cech is rested after admitting being below par in the Blues' defeat at Manchester City at the weekend with former Middlesbrough goalkeeper Ross Turnbull being handed a rare start

0mins

Chelsea round up their Champions League Group D campaign with a home clash against Cypriat outfit Apoel Nicosia


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Match Report

Chelsea ended the group stage of the Champions League unbeaten, but were again left to rue defensive errors against the Cypriot minnows who finished bottom of Group D.

The Blues dominated proceedings for long periods of the match but were left stunned by goals in the very early and late stages of the match from Apoel, who endeavoured throughout.

The match signals a run of three games without a win for Carlo Ancelotti's side, whilst conceding an unheard of seven goals in that period.

The visitors got off to the best possible start with six minutes in the clock with a neat piece of play which had Blues skipper John Terry screaming for an offside flag that never came.

After some slick interplay on the left wing, Costas Charalambides squared to Marcin Zewlakow who beat the offside trap placed by Terry and partner Ricardo Carvalho.

Zelakow kept his cool to calmly roll the ball past stand-in goalkeeper Ross Turnbull, who was presented with a rare start by Ancelotti after Petr Cech's failings in the weekend defeat to Manchester City.

From then on it was all Chelsea, with Joe Cole and Yuri Zhirkov looking particularly dangerous in tandem down the left flank.

Cole thought he had brought his side level with a decisive header in the 12th minute from Florent Malouda's inswinging cross, but he was forced to cut his celebrations short when he noticed an offside flag which was raised instantly.

But the hosts did not have to wait much longer to get themselves on level terms as a trademark long-range thunderbolt from Michael Essien seven minutes later proved too hot to handle for visiting keeper Dionisios Chiotis.

Moments later, the Ghanian midfielder limped off with a suspected hamstring injury, but the disappointment of the loss was quickly forgotten when Didier Drogba fired his side in front on 26 minutes.

After receiving the ball from the impressive Gael Kakuta, whose mazy run through midfield created acres of space on the left wing, Zhirkov picked out the in-form Drogba who fired home with a low strike from 12 yards.

From then on the Blues were in complete control and it should have been 3-1 before the break as Kakuta's pinpoint pass found Cole who was left one-on-one with Chiotis. But the wideman's hesitance allowed Soares Paulo Jorge to get back and make a challenge to take the sting away from the shot.

A quiet second half which was marred by hopeful long-range shooting came to life in the last ten minutes as Chelsea were again denied a goal by the linesman's flag.

Substitute Fabio Borini's overhead kick was saved by Chiotis, before Terry's shot from close range was adjudged to be offside.

And Chelsea's frustration was compounded with just three minutes to go, as John Obi Mikel presented the ball to Apoel's top scorer Nenad Mirosavljevic.

The striker gladly accepted Mikel's offering by sprinting clear and sliding home past Turnbull to the delight of the vocal travelling support.

Cole had an opportunity to win the match for the Blues in stoppage time, but their unbeaten record in the group ensured top spot and a so-called easier draw in the Super 16 stage of the competition.

Chelsea

Apoel Nicosia

Corners

83

Fouls

157

Goal attempts

225

Shots off target

131

Offsides

32

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