Petr Cechs out of second leg as Chelsea hold on in Madrid

Andy West 08:45 23/04/2014
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  • Close contact: Cesar Azpilicueta (l) sticks tight to Diego Costa (r).

    Chelsea overcame the loss of captain John Terry and goalkeeper Petr Cech through injury to grind out a goalless draw in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final against Atletico Madrid at the Vicente Calderon last night.

    The Blues came with only defending in mind and, although Atletico dominated possession and created a number of half-chances, the visitors’ solid back line could not be breached, setting up a fascinating second leg at Stamford Bridge next Wednesday.

    Jose Mourinho famously criticised teams for “parking the bus” when they played Chelsea at Stamford Bridge but his away-day gameplan was exactly that, as caution was exercised and extra emphasis placed on his team’s shape when not in possession. 

    Considering all the pre-match talk concerning the split allegience of Atletico goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, it was ironic that the game’s first major incident involved the man he was purchased to eventually replace in west London, Petr Cech.

    When Koke attempted to score directly from an inswinging right-footed corner, Cech reacted well to tip the ball over the crossbar from close to his goalline, only to be rewarded by But Raul Garcia crashing into him mid-air, causing him to land awkwardly.

    After a brief examination, Cech could not continue and his place was taken by veteran stopper Mark Schwarzer.

    After a cagey start, Atletico’s pressure gradually began to grow, and although the hosts were initially unable to create any goalscoring opportunities they were making the Premier League side’s defence look increasingly uncomfortable.

    With former Atletico hero Fernando Torres playing as a lone front man, the Blues were offering next to nothing in attack and their only menace in the opening half-hour came when Willian led a counter-attack which resulted in Ramires flashing a cross-shot well wide of the goal.

    Atletico threatened more in the final stages of the opening period, with Garcia heading well over from Koke’s cross before Mario Suarez hit a fierce 25-yard strike narrowly wide.

    More half-chances followed as Diego Costa chested down a Juanfran cross but saw his volley blocked by Cesar Azpilicueta followed, inside stoppage time, by Diego Ribas' low left-footed strike from the edge of the box that Schwarzer was safely behind.

    The second half started in a different fashion as Frank Lampard latched onto a loose ball on the edge of the box to try his luck with a left-footed volley, but Courtois was untroubled.

    Atletico boss Diego Simeone introduced Arda Turan in search of greater creativity and the change had the required effect as Atletico started to offer more sustained attacks, with the Turkish international adding more pace and drive to their play.

    Chelsea’s evening got even worse as Terry limped off after suffering a foot injury in a penalty box collision with David Luiz and the onus was on Atleti to go for the jugular and exploit the Blues' makeshift backline.

    Both sides were dealt a further blow to their second leg chances as Atletico captain Gabi got involved with Jon Obi Mikel and the pair were booked for an off-the-ball clash, meaning they will both miss the next match.

    Garcia headed over from a deep Juanfran cross and Turan nodded an even better chance wide after another teasing cross by the Atletico right-back, and the deadlock remained intact as the game entered its final ten minutes.

    Juanfran’s stream of crosses had become his team’s most dangerous threat and another deep delivery was headed over the top by Garcia, before a run from the hard-working Torres earned a dangerous free-kick which Luiz fired harmlessly off target.

    An injury time opportunity came to Costa as he ran onto an angled cross from Gabi, but the striker headed too close to the safe hands of Schwarzer and Atletico’s last real chance had disappeared.

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