MARTIN SAMUEL AT THE VICENTE CALDERON: There will be a lot of guff about the enemies of football bandied about after this, so let's cut to the chase. If David Moyes could have pulled off a performance or two like this in Europe this season - or even away at Manchester City or Liverpool - he would have been hailed as a tactical genius.
There will be a lot of guff about the enemies of football bandied about after this, so let’s cut to the chase. If David Moyes could have pulled off a performance or two like this in Europe this season — or even away at Manchester City or Liverpool — he would have been hailed as a tactical genius.
Dull football is only truly dull when it fails. A goalless draw away from home to the best team in La Liga isn’t truly dull.
Would Chelsea win La Liga? No. Then are Atletico Madrid a better team than Chelsea right now? Yes.
So do Chelsea have any realistic hope of coming to the Vicente Calderon stadium and playing Atletico Madrid off the park with attacking, cavalier football? No.
So do they have to find a way to get them back to Stamford Bridge and win there? Yes. And that is exactly what they did. If Manchester United were in Chelsea’s position in the Champions League right now, Moyes would still be in a job. Fact.
Angry scenes: There were several melees in the second half with most of the players on the pitch involved
Aggression: Chelsea defender Cesar Azpilicueta is grabbed by Atletico captain Gabi
Down: Chelsea skipper John Terry had to be substituted in the second half
Consoling: He was devastated that his game had come to an end but Chelsea hung on for the draw
Ouch! John Terry gives the thumbs up but he was forced off the pitch with a ankle injury
MATCH FACTS
Atletico Madrid: Courtois 6, Juanfran 6.5, Miranda 6, Godin 7, Filipe Luis 7, Raul Garcia 7 (Villa 86), Gabi 6.5, Mario Suarez 7 (Sosa 80), Koke 7, Diego 7 (Turan 60), Diego Costa 6.
Subs: Aranzubia, Tiago, Rodriguez, Alderweireld.
Yellow: Gabi, Miranda
Chelsea: Cech 6 (Schwarzer 18 6.5), Azpilicueta 7, Cahill 8, Terry 7 (Schurrle 73), Cole 6.5, Mikel 6.5, Luiz 6, Lampard 6.5, Ramires 6, Torres 5.5, Willian 7 (Ba 90).
Subs: Oscar, van Ginkel, Ake, Kalas.
Yellows: Lampard, Mikel, Ba
Referee: Jonas Eriksson (Sweden)
Attendance: 50,000
*Player ratings by Rob Draper in Madrid
That Jose Mourinho got this draw without his best player, Eden Hazard, his main striker, Samuel Eto’o, his goalkeeper Petr Cech for 72 minutes and his captain John Terry for the final 20 makes it even more of an achievement.
Chelsea are familiar with triumph in adversity in this competition and although this was only a draw it still felt like victory, of sorts.
Chelsea clung on, particularly in the second half. It came at a cost, but then performances like this always do.
Frank Lampard picked up a booking for a foul on Turkish winger Arda Turan and will miss the return leg. Soon after, when he tried to control the ball with his upper torso and got too much of his upper arm on it, Atletico’s players surrounded Jonas Eriksson, the referee, in a crass attempt to get him dismissed.
Eriksson rightly resisted but punished the most aggressive offenders in the melee, John Mikel Obi and Gabi of Atletico.
Both are now suspended from the second leg also, although Gabi, as Atletico’s captain, is the greater loss.
Unhappy: Jose Mourinho points out something he doesn't agree with on the pitch
Jumping: Gary Cahill puts Thibaut Courtois under serious pressure from a Chelsea corner
Under pressure: Raul Garcia gets up high to beat Ashley Cole in the air
Ouch! Raul Garcia bumped into Petr Cech and the Chelsea keeper felt the full force of the challenge
Decision: The Chelsea medical staff take a look at the Czech keeper before deciding he has to go off
Off: Petr Cech had to be helped off the pitch midway through the first half after injuring his arm
What is the difference, then, between Mourinho dull and Sam Allardyce dull?
Well, playing negative football to secure a mid-table finish seems pretty unambitious all round.
Circling the wagons against a team that knocked out Barcelona in the last round in a bid to reach the Champions League final may be a necessary evil.
The moment Cech was lost to the game less than midway through the first half, this had the feel of a rearguard action; and while Mark Schwarzer, his replacement, wasn’t exactly the hero of the night he made at least one save, possibly two, that kept Chelsea in the game.
In future years there may be a quiz question along the lines of, ‘Which team played three goalkeepers in the first 18 minutes of a Champions League semi-final?’
The answer, of course, will be Chelsea. Cech, who got injured, Schwarzer, the substitute, and Thibaut Courtois up the other end in the shirt of Atletico Madrid.
Courtois’ loan status having been such a hot potato going into this game, it was only to be expected that any drama would centre on the issue of keepers, and sure enough, with the tie just 17 minutes old, there it was. Atletico Madrid won a corner which Raul Garcia attacked with gusto, his momentum greatly increased by an untimely shove from David Luiz.
Close: Gabi fires in a free-kick which Mark Schwarzer was forced to parry
Out: Frank Lampard is shown a yellow card for a rash challenge and will miss the second leg
Close call: It could have been worse for Lampard who stayed on the pitch despite a hand-ball
Overhead kick: Diego Costa goes for an acrobatic attempt as he holds off David Luiz
SUPER STAT
Diego Simeone's Atletico Madrid are the only team unbeaten in the Champions League this season (they now have eight wins and three draws).
Garcia clattered into Cech, who instantly signalled that he needed a replacement. At first a head injury was feared, but it was later revealed that he had suffered a damaged shoulder in the nasty fall.
Either way, he was unable to continue and Schwarzer entered the action, fresh from a less than convincing performance in Saturday’s Premier League defeat at home to Sunderland.
If only Chelsea had a brilliant young goalkeeper waiting in the wings for his moment. Ah well.
Courtois is too good, Chelsea’s hierarchy feel, to hang about on the off chance that Cech gets beaten into submission by one of his own players, hence his three season loan transfers to Atletico, and the pre-match row over his availability.
Atletico were going to have to pay an extra £5million to play him against his parent club, until UEFA intervened, citing such quaint old concepts as competition integrity. Bit too late for that now, lads.
Taking command: Frank Lampard heads the ball away to clear Chelsea's lines
Blow: David Luiz received a bash to the ear and spent some time on the ground
Vocal: Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone tries to get his instructions over to his side
Schwarzer, at 41, was the only person on the pitch who was even born the last time Atletico reached the last four in this tournament in 1974 — they defeated Celtic, but lost the final to a mighty Bayern Munich team — but even he looked nervous when Koke floated a cross to Garcia’s head in the 30th minute.
Schwarzer’s
hesitancy off his line would have made Chelsea’s travelling few fear
the worst, but he redeemed himself four minutes later, even if he failed
to receive credit for it. Deep-lying midfielder Mario Suarez struck a
lovely, low shot from 25 yards which Schwarzer diverted with his
fingertips.
The deflection was too subtle to be noticed by Eriksson, however, and a goal-kick was given. The official behind the goal — who would almost certainly have had a better view of it — was, as ever, completely useless. No surprise there.
Schwarzer’s second-half save from Gabi was more tangible, a dipping free-kick in the 75th minute that was as close as Atletico got to breaking this deadlock.
Making a nuisance of himself: Torres tries to pinch the ball away from Diego Godin
Long legs: Frank Lampard stretches to block a shot from Diego in the early minutes of the game
Safe hands: Chelsea's on-loan keeper Thibaut Courtois catches the ball in his area
Tussle: John Obi Mikel holds off Diego Costa as the Spanish striker hopes to win back the ball
Yet La Liga’s leaders were, for the most part, disappointing and none more so than Chelsea target Diego Costa, whose record suggests this was an off night, rather than a true reflection of his ability.
Atletico had plenty of possession but to little effect. Chelsea threw a defensive cordon across the middle of the pitch, and another sitting even deeper in case the first didn’t work.
Costa had a shot charged down with trademark Chelsea bravery by Cesar Azpilicueta in the 41st minute, but there was little to suggest his mooted £32m fee would represent value for money this summer.
It was an exemplary containing job by Chelsea, but the trade-off for it was that they barely threatened, either.
Atletico had five times the number of shots but only managed four on target - Click here for our brilliant Match Zone service
Hiding behind the ball: Ramires keeps his body in front of Koke
All smiles: Spain manager Vicente del Bosque (centre back) was in the stands watching some of his players
Foul! Lampard goes to ground under a challenge from Atletico midfielder Raul Garcia
Effort on goal: Atletico midfielder Diego tries his luck from distance but his shot was blocked
Fernando Torres, returning to the club where he is still idolised — and there were plenty of F. TORRES 9 Atletico Madrid shirts knocking about — barely had a touch of significance.
A smart little dribble in the 59th minute looked good, but ended in a weak shot, and when Willian broke after 27 minutes and fed Ramires, the Brazilian attempted to replicate his chipped goal on the counter- attack against Barcelona two years ago, to no avail. Torres was screaming for a pass at the far post but his pleas went unheeded.
He will need to be more involved at Stamford Bridge, as will Chelsea, if this is to have real purpose.
Eyes on the ball: Brazilian winger Willian chases after Atletico defender Juanfran
Looking for a break: Torres races after the ball under pressure from Mario Suarez
Support: Atletico fans hold up a banner as the players walk out onto the pitch
Nervous energy: The Chelsea starting eleven line-up before the game
Rueful glare: Mourinho has much to contemplate on the Chelsea bench
Party atmosphere: Atletico fans making themselves heard in the Vicente Calderon Stadium
Watching from the bench: Nemanja Matic (left) was cup-tied and Branislav Ivanovic was suspended
Famous face: Formula 1 analyst and former team boss Eddie Jordan was in Madrid for the game
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