Chelsea 1 - 0 Roma {Captain John Terry to the rescue}
shamar said
21:27 10/22 2008
Chelsea captain John Terry ended Roma's stubborn resistance with a second-half winner in the 1-0 victory at Stamford Bridge.
Terry headed home from Frank Lampard's 77th-minute corner to keep Luiz Felipe Scolari's side top of Champions League Group A.
Roma, struggling in the lower reaches of Serie A, were not expected to upset Chelsea's European momentum but they almost did so with a dogged defensive display which nearly earned them a share of the spoils.
The opening few minutes saw Chelsea enjoy the lion's share of possession with the impish Deco pulling the strings in midfield.
But eight minutes elapsed before Chelsea mustered their first real attempt on goal via a 20-yard volley from Lampard which Doni dealt with effectively.
That apart, there was little sign of the beautiful game which Scolari desired as the home side were largely frustrated by the visitors. Scolari's touchline demeanour clearly demonstrated his distinct displeasure with Chelsea's inability to get on top.
In the 21st minute a rare attacking drive from John Mikel Obi brought a booking for Philippe Mexes when he brought the Nigerian crashing down on the edge of the penalty area.
But Lampard saw his effort cannon into the crowd after flicking the angle of the post and bar.
In the 27th minute Deco set Kalou free on the right but the striker's shot was lacking power and accuracy and Doni again collected the ball safely.
Roma were more than happy to stop Chelsea trying to play their way through the middle with Alberto Aquilani particularly impressive.
It required a superb tackle from Terry to prevent Matteo Brighi from opening the scoring in the 35th minute.
Terry dived in to deflect the ball for a corner after a superb piece of skill from Francesco Totti had set up Brighi.
Lampard tried his luck at the other end after Deco had bam***bozled the Roma defence with a clever back-heel but the England midfielder was again off target.
Scolari was incensed four minutes before the interval when Deco was brought down on the edge of the penalty area but the referee opted to let the home side play on, much to the chagrin of the Chelsea coach and his staff.
Scolari replaced Florent Malouda during the interval with Juliano Belletti and he immediately sent a 20-yard drive high into the crowd.
Roma were forced to make a change on the hour when Aquilani suffered a hamstring injury and was replaced by Simone Perrotta.
Moments later Kalou brought an outstanding save from Doni with a firm header.
Chelsea were now beginning to get on top once more but the cutting edge remained noticeably absent.
Mikel sent a 25-yard drive well wide of the target as Chelsea struggled to find a way beyond the Roma rearguard.
A fine ball from Deco was squandered by Kalou when the Ivory Coast striker sent over a tame cross that was easily dealt with by Christian Panucci.
Roma were happy to settle for a point and with Totti offering a solo option in attack, the onus was on Chelsea to make the breakthrough.
That almost arrived in the 67th minute when a 20-yard shot from Mikel was deflected over the bar by Anelka.
Bosingwa continued to press down the right flank but when he provided a decent cross into the penalty area it was quickly dealt with by Roma's defence.
But the deadlock was finally broken by England captain Terry in the 77th minute when he slipped his marker and headed Lampard's corner into the net.
Lampard almost made it two in the 83rd minute but Doni reacted quickly to tip his free-kick over the bar.
Chelsea captain John Terry ended Roma's stubborn resistance with a second-half winner in the 1-0 victory at Stamford Bridge.
Terry headed home from Frank Lampard's 77th-minute corner to keep Luiz Felipe Scolari's side top of Champions League Group A.
Roma, struggling in the lower reaches of Serie A, were not expected to upset Chelsea's European momentum but they almost did so with a dogged defensive display which nearly earned them a share of the spoils.
The opening few minutes saw Chelsea enjoy the lion's share of possession with the impish Deco pulling the strings in midfield.
But eight minutes elapsed before Chelsea mustered their first real attempt on goal via a 20-yard volley from Lampard which Doni dealt with effectively.
That apart, there was little sign of the beautiful game which Scolari desired as the home side were largely frustrated by the visitors. Scolari's touchline demeanour clearly demonstrated his distinct displeasure with Chelsea's inability to get on top.
In the 21st minute a rare attacking drive from John Mikel Obi brought a booking for Philippe Mexes when he brought the Nigerian crashing down on the edge of the penalty area.
But Lampard saw his effort cannon into the crowd after flicking the angle of the post and bar.
In the 27th minute Deco set Kalou free on the right but the striker's shot was lacking power and accuracy and Doni again collected the ball safely.
Roma were more than happy to stop Chelsea trying to play their way through the middle with Alberto Aquilani particularly impressive.
It required a superb tackle from Terry to prevent Matteo Brighi from opening the scoring in the 35th minute.
Terry dived in to deflect the ball for a corner after a superb piece of skill from Francesco Totti had set up Brighi.
Lampard tried his luck at the other end after Deco had bam***bozled the Roma defence with a clever back-heel but the England midfielder was again off target.
Scolari was incensed four minutes before the interval when Deco was brought down on the edge of the penalty area but the referee opted to let the home side play on, much to the chagrin of the Chelsea coach and his staff.
Scolari replaced Florent Malouda during the interval with Juliano Belletti and he immediately sent a 20-yard drive high into the crowd.
Roma were forced to make a change on the hour when Aquilani suffered a hamstring injury and was replaced by Simone Perrotta.
Moments later Kalou brought an outstanding save from Doni with a firm header.
Chelsea were now beginning to get on top once more but the cutting edge remained noticeably absent.
Mikel sent a 25-yard drive well wide of the target as Chelsea struggled to find a way beyond the Roma rearguard.
A fine ball from Deco was squandered by Kalou when the Ivory Coast striker sent over a tame cross that was easily dealt with by Christian Panucci.
Roma were happy to settle for a point and with Totti offering a solo option in attack, the onus was on Chelsea to make the breakthrough.
That almost arrived in the 67th minute when a 20-yard shot from Mikel was deflected over the bar by Anelka.
Bosingwa continued to press down the right flank but when he provided a decent cross into the penalty area it was quickly dealt with by Roma's defence.
But the deadlock was finally broken by England captain Terry in the 77th minute when he slipped his marker and headed Lampard's corner into the net.
Lampard almost made it two in the 83rd minute but Doni reacted quickly to tip his free-kick over the bar.
-- Edited by shamar at 22:29, 2008-10-22