Chelsea’s old guard masterminded one of the club’s greatest European escapes to reach the Champions League quarter-finals on Wednesday, beating Napoli 4-1 after extra-time at Stamford Bridge to edge an electrifying tie 5-4 on aggregate.
Serbian Branislav Ivanovic smashed home the winning goal in the 105th minute of an enthralling clash to keep the English flag flying in the competition, after both Manchester clubs and Arsenal had fallen by the wayside.
Trailing 3-1 from the first leg, it was Chelsea’s much-criticized 30-somethings who provided the inspiration, having struggled domestically under recently sacked coach Andre Villas-Boas.
Didier Drogba opened the scoring and captain John Terry’s header made it 2-0 just after the interval, only for Napoli to regain the advantage through Gokhan Inler’s low drive.
Frank Lampard’s penalty 15 minutes from time made it 4-4 on aggregate to send the tie into extra-time and it was the 34-year-old Drogba who again showed his class, providing the perfect cut back for Ivanovic to send Chelsea through.
“He finished it unbelievably, like a striker, really,” Lampard told ITV.
“It was a symbol of the team’s spirit, the way he finished that. A performance like that could change our season. We’re just happy to be in the hat. If we play with that ability tonight we can take on anyone,” he added.
Interim coach Roberto Di Matteo jumped for joy on the bench as Chelsea kept their dream of a first Champions League triumph alive and ended Napoli’s hopes of reaching the last eight for the first time. Only AC Milan from Italy now remain.
“This could top them all, for sure,” said Terry, whose side lie fifth in the Premier League. “We showed what Chelsea are made of tonight.”
The match started amid a feverish atmosphere and the opening 25 minutes belonged to the visitors.
Chelsea had looked cumbersome, with Drogba a frustrated figure upfront, but the Ivorian showed why he has been such a feared predator over the years in the Champions League when he put his side ahead after 28 minutes.
Chelsea began the second half as they had ended the first and within three minutes Terry combined with fellow old warrior Lampard to make it 2-0, arcing a textbook header beyond Morgan De Sanctis from the midfielder’s corner.
The emphasis was now on Napoli to score and they did not take long to respond, as Swiss midfielder Inler chested a ball down and rifled a shot past Petr Cech from 25m.
With 15 minutes to go Chelsea were gifted their third goal when substitute Andrea Dossena needlessly handled and Chelsea’s trusty penalty taker Lampard made no mistake from the spot to make it 4-4 on aggregate.
Extra-time was wide open before Ivanovic sealed the tie with glee.
REAL MADRID v CSKA Moscow
Reuters, MADRID
Real Madrid cantered into the quarter-finals when thoroughbred forward Cristiano Ronaldo netted twice in a 4-1 win at home to CSKA Moscow on Wednesday that put the La Liga leaders through 5-2 on aggregate.
Gonzalo Higuain and substitute Karim Benzema also found the net as Jose Mourinho’s side, chasing Real’s first continental crown since 2002 and their 10th European Cup, secured their place in today’s draw for the last eight.
On a balmy night in the Spanish capital, Real took a deserved lead in the 26th minute when Sami Khedira sent Kaka clear on the left and the Brazilian crossed for Higuain to poke the ball into the net.
They doubled their advantage 10 minutes into the second half after goalkeeper Sergei Chepchugov could only divert Ronaldo’s long-range strike on to a post and in, and Benzema followed up his own shot to bag Real’s third in the 70th minute, moments after coming off the bench.
Zoran Tosic rewarded the traveling CSKA fans with a goal 13 minutes from time when he rounded Pepe and lashed the ball high past Iker Casillas from just outside the area.
France striker Benzema, returning from a brief injury layoff, then unselfishly set up Ronaldo to tap in his second and Real’s fourth in stoppage-time.
It was the Portuguese international’s 11th goal in his last seven appearances for Real and his 42nd of the campaign in all competitions.
“It wasn’t spectacular, but it was a mature display,” Mourinho said at a news conference.
“Without doing anything out of this world we managed to dominate and the game was mostly played out in their half,” he added.
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