Chelsea head through to semi-finals
Chelsea FC secured their fourth UEFA Champions League semi-final berth in five seasons thanks to another of Michael Ballack’s early goals and then Frank Lampard’s nerve-settling second with three minutes remaining against Fenerbahçe SK.
Nervous finish Their progression to another last-four meeting with Liverpool FC was achieved moreover with their third-choice goalkeeper on the pitch after Hilário came on for Carlo Cudicini, already deputising for Petr Čech, with 26 minutes played. The replacement responded superbly as the Turkish title-holders, never before European semi-finalists, piled on the pressure until Lampard’s coup de grâce.
Ballack heads in Ballack had been dismissive of the notion that Chelsea could make anywhere near as dynamic a start as they enjoyed against Olympiacos CFP when he nodded in a Lampard cross on five minutes. He underestimated his team’s capabilities; this time the clock showed only four minutes as he glanced home Lampard’s free-kick with aplomb before wheeling away in triumph.
I really hope Chelsea gets knocked out of the Champions League just so Avram Grant gets sacked. His the most boring manager in the Premiership.
