Chelsea ease into last eight
Reuters - Wednesday 16 March 2011, 23:05
LONDON - Chelsea, with one eye on
Sunday's match against Manchester City, eased into the Champions
League quarter-finals when a 0-0 draw with FC Copenhagen on
Wednesday secured a commanding 2-0 aggregate win.
Such was Chelsea's confidence that the lead secured by
Nicolas Anelka's two goals in the first leg would prove a safe
enough cushion for coach Carlo Ancelotti to start with Fernando
Torres, Michael Essien and Florent Malouda on the bench.
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Torres came on for the last 23 minutes but after sending one
shot fizzing past a post and another into the second tier of the
stand, the Spaniard remained in search of his first goal after
six matches for his new club.
It was all of little concern to Ancelotti, however, as his
side stayed on course for the semi-finals for the sixth time in
eight years after joining fellow Premier League sides Tottenham
Hotspur and Manchester United in Friday's draw.
Chelsea lacked intensity but always looked capable of upping
the pace if they needed to and they almost had to when Dame
N'Doye cracked a free-kick against a post in the visitors' only
worthwhile goal attempt.
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"The performance was good, we didn't want to take a risk, we
had good control of the game defensively," Ancelotti told
reporters.
"We had 24 shots and we could have been more precise up
front but that's a small detail."
Chelsea set about their task with the zeal of a team who
knew the tie was as good as over and with the quiet home fans in
a less-than-full Stamford Bridge acquiescing it was left to the
noisy visiting supporters, chanting in perfect English, to
provide the atmosphere.
When they did move out of second gear with some nicely-built
moves down the left, their finishing let them down as Frank
Lampard, Yuri Zhirkov, Anelka and Didier Drogba all failed to
take advantage of decent positions.
PINK SHIRTS
The Danes, resplendent in bright pink shirts, were busy
without ever looking dangerous and they came nearest to a goal
when N'Doye's free-kick thudded against the post after 26
minutes.
Chelsea were livelier after the break with Drogba shooting
just wide and John Obi Mikel clipping the bar with a header as
Copenhagen were pushed deeper.
But as the clock wound down it seemed that both sides were
content with a goalless draw and the match duly petered out.
Copenhagen, 20 points clear at the top of their domestic
league and the first Danish side to make the knockout stage of
the Champions League, were happy with their night's work.
"Chelsea were the best team over two games. We were good in
seven of the eight games but let ourselves down at Parken after
the winter break," Copenhagen coach Stale Solbakken said.
"We didn't really have the quality to hurt them tonight, the
few times we were through our finishing was poor so we've
probably reached the extent of our level.
"Maybe if N'Doye's free-kick had gone in we'd have had a
look at Chelsea's nerves but all in all I'm really proud of what
we've done in this campaign."
Ancelotti's attention was on Sunday's game against City and
he said Torres, Essien and Malouda would all start.
"I'd already decided the team to play against Manchester
City and I wanted those players to be fresh," said the Italian.
"The feeling is good, all the players are fit and fresh and
we are in a good moment."