On the eve of the game, there were some difficulties in finding a starting point for creating an entourage, appropriate for a champions quarterfinal. Chelsea and Valencia have an unusually rich history of European competition - this evening they met for the first time.
Rivals are united only by the creative paths of Claudio Ranieri and Asier del Orno, unsinkable rumors about the passage of Villa and a certain elusive community of playing manners. In conditions of non-obviousness of intrigue, Spanish journalists flashed wit, dubbing the battle at Stamford Bridge a duel of Valencian David (there are already four of them in the club’s application), of course, Goliath. However, some at Chelsea might be offended by comparison with the Philistines.
The trio of Davidov - Albelda, Silva and Villa - was expected to be in the starting lineup of the guests and was called to play the title roles in the battle. To the fourth - Navarro - Goliath had the image of the Argentinean Burdisso ahead of time, and now, by the decision of UEFA, he will experience a false start for six months away from football.
Also, the coach of “Valencia” Kike Flores missed the disqualified Marchena, injured Barachi and Morientes. As a result, the Spaniards offered opponents a forced variation of the classic national 4-2-3-1 with the non-core Emiliano Moretti in the center of defense, the frontal attacking trinity Joaquin - Silva - Vicente and the only David Villa on the edge.
The first strike on the owner's goal flew out of the sling of the scorer of “Valencia” already in the 2nd minute and did not work out the exact one. Chelsea tidied the ball and the initiative, on the rights of the owner and favorite, he began to crush the opponent at a warming pace. The Spaniards rehearsed stepped back and put up spikes of counterattacks, however, they did not save themselves from the first goal moment in the match ...
The London club on the eve of the match also could not boast of the emptiness of the infirmary. Broken overworked in the national team Robben, continues to heal Essien's injury. But for the first time since the end of autumn, Joe Cole, who recovered, but has not yet regained his tone, got into the application. Even under these conditions, Mourinho was honored with a couple of staffing surprises. Claude Makelele remained in reserve, having closed the defensive midfield chain on Obi Mikela, and in the attack the company of Drogba and Shevchenko was made by Watford conqueror Salomon Kalu. Thus, 4-3-3, refusal to oversaturate the midline, freeing the flanks for tactical forward maneuvers and a priori risk in an attempt to actively take advantage of the active methods after the first meeting.
It was Kalu who was honored to be the first to miss the scoring chance. Shevchenko at the approaches to the penalty area stumbled upon Ayala, like a cabinet door unnoticed in the dark. Salomon tucked a bounced ball at his feet and struck the crossbar.
Answer “Valencia” prepared quickly. Perhaps before the start of the match. The object of aggression was the right flank of the Chelsea defense, where Vicente was active, diverting Diarr, who was not too savvy in such subtleties, and Villa and Silva, who moved there, created permanent overload. After a series of estimated approaches to the target, a battle followed. Silva gracefully beat the opponent, went to the corner of the penalty area and shot from the left into the far “nine” - like a sling, of course. Petr Cech and the trajectory of the projectile were in different dimensions, and the ball - in the goal. 30th minute, 0: 1, the number of Chelsea jealous fell sharply.
By the time of the miracle goal of David Silva, the game could be called approximately equal. The hosts owned the ball more, crushed the weak spots of the Spanish defense, cutting off Drogba, Kalu, or Shevchenko on the tip. Valencia attacked less frequently, but more sharply, more specifically, more targetedly and more effectively. A goal scored added emotion and pace, a little tense, but did not change the game's design. The hosts were too smart to immediately recklessly rush to recoup, guests - to start huddling at their own gates. The camera grabbed a malicious smile Mourinho - it seems that the Portuguese knows who tomorrow the British press will replenish the list of his potential successors.
Chelsea recouped at the dawn of the second half and quite unexpectedly. The whole match, the nervous Canizares knocked the ball straight into goalie Ashley Cole. He immediately threw Drogba into the breakthrough, and the Ivorian, having stole a successful rebound, terribly upset the venerable goalkeeper. If there is a pattern in football, then that was it. Equally, in fact, the game has become equal and in a row.
In the future, the rivals continued to do what the whole match was doing, only more stereotyped and monotonously. The "blue" finally lost on predictable casts from the center of the field in the direction of Drogba. Didier, even though he was an “elephant,” fought like a lion, but did not find support from his partners. Lampard and Ballack had a lot to do in center field, Kalu forgot aggression during the break in the locker room, and Shevchenko simply did not keep up with what was happening. At the same time, the Spanish defense did not at all look impassable - only Ayala seemed to be such. Martial arts of the Argentine with Drogba became both an ornament and, in a certain sense, a symbol of the match. Sometimes I just wanted everyone else to disperse and not interfere.
In the attack, “bats” in the second half succeeded much less than in the first. Chronologically, the loss of severity coincided with the injury and replacement of the miserable Vicente. Entering the field of Angulo, who had already seen the first coming of Ranieri, of course, he did not add dynamics to the guests. However, the matter is not only in it. “Valencia” deliberately ceased to rush forward, more trying to hold the ball and slow down. Quite reasonable, given the increasing pressure of the hosts, whose composition was refreshed by Joe Cole and Sean Wright-Phillips. However, the coaches did not make crucial replacements in this match. For the sake of symmetry, Chelsea missed the last real chance in the match without taking advantage of Canisares’s blunder at the exit.
1: 1 - the result, pushing for the most original conclusion: everything will be decided on “Mestalla”. “Valencia” intercepts the status of a favorite, and at the same time the whole range of problems associated with it. Kike Flores won the first round by points, and Mourinho presents an excellent chance to show his abilities in a critical situation.
Meanwhile, the future rival of the duelists is already known. Gathering a time machine from the PSV wreckage, Liverpool ended up in the semifinals in advance. Rafa Benitez now with the excitement of an extreme gourmet is waiting for what kind of dish he will get. Both are extremely tasty, both are eager to be on his table. And both can be poisonous.
CHELSEY England - VALENCIA Spain - 1: 1 (0: 1)
Goals: 0: 1 - Silva (30), 1: 1 - Drogba (53).
Chelsea: Czech, E. Cole, Ricardo Carvalho, Terry, Lampard, Obi Mikel (D. Cole, 74), Ballack, Diarra, Kalu (Wright-Phillips, 74), Drogba, Shevchenko.
VALENCIA: Canizares , Miguel, Del Orno, Ayala, Albelda, Villa (Lopez, 90 + 3), Vicente (Angulo, 58), Joaquin (Hugo Viana, 87), Albiol, Silva, Moretti.
Warnings: Silva (35), Albelda (44), Drogba (45 + 2), Ayala (72), Diarra (86).
April, 4. London. Stamford Bridge.
Judge: F. de Blacker (Belgium).