It was the 9th minute that John Terry's manly face suddenly distorted a grimace of pain. The captain of Chelsea turned up his ankle in the wet Dragau field. And from that moment on, the events in the slowly begun meeting began to develop with kaleidoscopic speed, despising all preliminary arrangements.
And the main topic of the pre-match talk was formed immediately after the draw. “Mourinho versus his own people,” “Mourinho returns home” - a sentimental and intriguing motive was guessed from the first notes. In Portugal, they also actively relished the tangled history of the relationship of the coaches: Mourinho was once a student of Ferreira, and then invariably beat the teacher.
Drama added a less obvious observation. Perhaps the current visit to Dragau fell on the most difficult period in the brilliant career of Mourinho. He already came here with Chelsea one and a half league back, but under completely different circumstances. Then the teams, hand in hand, together stepped out of the group stage into the playoffs (for the sake of order, Jose called the idiots of those who decided that he had helped the former club), blessing Moscow CSKA for exploits in the UEFA Cup. Now a head-on collision cannot be avoided - both of them get into the quarterfinals of one pair is problematic.
However, hardly anyone imagined that it would come to sparks so quickly. While the unfortunate Terry was assisted and the coaching staff of the guests was preparing a replacement, Porto scored. Makelele brought the ball out of the box right on Raul Meireles ’foot, and he unceremoniously used Lampard’s leg and sent the ball to the far corner. “Chelsea” after the captain lost and equality in the account.
In winter, the "blue" replenished the already overpopulated list of European grandees, for which not everyone thank God. Personnel problems revealed a difficult relationship within the club, and the caring British press instantly assigned fire status to light smoke. For a long time Chelsea really played badly, but with the return of Peter Cech and John Terry, the situation returned to Mourinho’s usual control. For the reviewed match, Londoners won six matches in a row in different tournaments with a total score of 18: 0. And now, it seemed, the nightmare was returning.
Mourinho reacted immediately. Obi Mikel, already undressed, returned to the bench, and instead of Terry, Robben stepped out. Essien again took an emergency place in the center of defense, and the tactical scheme from a cautious (4-4-2) turned into a risky one (4-3-3) and ... immediately worked. However, the return goal of Chelsea was, rather, a consequence of pain shock. The newly arrived Robben won the selection and brought Shevchenko to the goal, while the Ukrainian just struck his left to the far “bottom”. More in the first half, the guests did not succeed in practically anything - rivals ruled the field.
In recent years, Porto can be safely considered one of the largest European ports, into which South American talents arrive, and then, seizing local talents, they are scattered across elite old-world football fields. Deco, Diego, Luis Fabiano. Next in line is Lucho Gonzalez. Every year, "dragons" update the composition: a third, half, or even almost completely. For example, in the current Chelsea, there are more League 03/04 winners than in Porto itself: Ricardo Carvalho and Paulo Ferreira against the centuries-old and already spare Vitor Baia.
The Brazilian Elton defending the Portuguese gate did not enter the game before the break. But his colleague had to get nervous. The Porto attack spread its wings, traditionally played by Quaresma and Lisandro Lopez. Each of them missed in the first half by the super torque, and Quarezhma also forced his opponents to earn two hysterical yellow cards. Without Terry, the Chelsea defense instantly lost confidence and held out until the end of the 45-minute long, largely on luck. And then it's time for the coaches to enter the game.
Vizavi Mourinho Gesualdo Ferreira came to the “Port” as if from Gogol's “Overcoat”. For more than 30 years of coaching, he has never burdened his track record with a weighty title, and he worked mainly with small teams. In Portugal, he gained a reputation as a theorist, slightly divorced from life. His emergency August appointment seemed a forced measure, dictated by the sudden outcome of the venerable, but obstinate Ko Adrians. However, already at the group stage of the League, Ferreira proved that he can do a lot. A victory in Moscow over CSKA, he may well be considered a personal achievement.
Mourinho's achievement was a completely changed game in the second half. The Chelsea coach changed the circuit for the second time in 40 minutes, returning the original arrangement. For this, Jose did not hesitate to remove Robben who brought the result from the field - the Champions League playoffs are not a place for sentiment. With the release of Obi Mikel, the middle line of the “blue” regained balance and completely outplayed the Portuguese opponents. Lucho Gonzalez didn’t take the time to go out of the shadow for the whole match, the actions of Lisandro Lopez disappeared, and the hero of the first half, Quarezma, from the 60th minute ceased to fall into the shots, not only into the goal. Mourinho hid defensive weaknesses, Chelsea regained the ball and confidence. First, the guests simply calmed the game, and by the end of the meeting they began to think about victory. However, this would be arrogance. And too cruel for Ferreira. Belatedly, he began to react to the opponent’s moves, but the effect of his substitutions was easily washed off by increased rain. 1: 1 - the best result for Chelsea “according to the situation”. To get to the quarter finals, Porto has to come up with something very non-trivial at Stamford Bridge.
After the first match at the playoff stage, it is difficult to draw conclusions, especially the right ones. Nevertheless, the tactical mobility of Chelsea was impressive. Perhaps right now, when the expectations of the team’s triumph are not so peremptory, the “blue” will finally be able to conquer the League. However, Porto probably still has an alternative opinion on this.
PORTO - Chelsea - 1: 1 (1: 1)
Goals: 1: 0 - Raul Meireles (12), 1: 1 - Shevchenko (16).
PORTO: Elton, Pepe, Bruno Alves, Fusile (Bruno Morais, 65), Bosingwa, Lucho Gonzalez, Paulo Assunsao, Raul Meireles (M.Chech, 56), Lisandro Lopez, Cuarezhma, Elder Poshtiga (Adriano, 77).
Chelsea : P. Chech, Terry (Robben, 13; Obi Mikel, 46), Diarra, Ricardo Carvalho, Bridge, Makelele, Essien, Lampard, Ballack, Drogba, Shevchenko (Kalu, 88).
Warnings: Makelele (36), Essien (42), P. Cheh (70), Ballack (82), Pepe (90).
February 21st. Dragau, 22.45.
Judge: Massimo Buzacca (Switzerland).