Côte d’Ivoire international strikers Didier Drogba and Arouna Kone both scored crucial goals for their teams Chelsea and PSV Eindhoven on Tuesday in their respective Champions League clashes.
Drogba, who has been a player transformed this season in contrast to record signing Andriy Shevchenko, struck in stoppage time with the goal that virtually ensures the Premiership champions will progress to the second round in a breathless 2-2 draw with bitter rivals Barcelona.
A typically robust encounter saw 10 players booked and the pressure on Barca coach Frank Rijkaard increased as the holders edged nearer the humiliation of being eliminated — Werder Bremen’s 3-0 defeat of kicking boys Levski Sofia took the Germans two points clear of the Spanish giants.
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has made few friends in other English Premiership clubs and he will have perhaps had his night a little soured by the news that Liverpool — who controversially put Chelsea out two seasons ago in the semifinals — wrapped up their place in the last 16 with a facile 3-0 win over a pretty ordinary Bordeaux side.
Kone produced his second successive goal-winning performance in PSV’s 2-0 away win at Galatasaray to join fellow Group C rivals Liverpool in the last 16 — the Turkish side not being helped in their cause by Stjepan Tomas being sent off in the 38th minute.
Barca’s upset was Valencia’s joy as the Catalan giant’s Spanish league rivals fought back to earn their place in the next round with a 2-2 draw away at Ukrainian outfit Shakhtar Donetsk — Fernando Morientes once again illustrating that English life did not suit him when he failed at Liverpool as he scored his fourth of the campaign.
German champions Bayern Munich also ensured they went through, though, the less said about their 0-0 draw at home to Sporting Lisbon the better. Bayern’s disciplinarian coach Felix Magath said it was their worst performance thus far.
The two Italian clubs involved on Tuesday edged closer to the last 16 as Inter Milan beat Spartak Moscow 1-0 — Argentinian Julio Cruz adding to the brace he scored against the same opposition a fortnight ago — to put themselves on six points, though just one ahead of Sporting Lisbon who they play on November 22.
However, AS Roma look far more assured of a place in the knockout stages as their talismanic captain Francesco Totti overcame missing a penalty to score the equaliser that gave the Italian side a hard-earned 1-1 draw at home to Greek side Olympiakos.
Mourinho was very proud of his players after their deserved draw with Barcelona but, as is usual with the Portuguese maestro, he could not stop himself from having a go at his opposite number, Rijkaard, who, aside from Rafa Benitez of Liverpool and Arsene Wenger of Arsenal, is his favourite target.
”Frank [Rijkaard] is a very lucky man as he has a lot of stars so his players are protected by the referee.
”I would love to be in his position. I am not going to complain about the referee as it is not easy for him because the Barcelona players are always diving.”
Rijkaard for his part decided to overlook the referee’s performance preferring a dry aside, despite him having charged on to the pitch at the end to remonstrate with the Italian Stefano Farina.
”I went to thank the referee at the end for his participation,” said Rijkaard, who added that it had been a bitter result for him and his team.
However, Rijkaard will have some nervous nights ahead of his team’s home clash with Bremen in the final round of group matches on December 5 — though the Spanish do play Levski away before that.
Bremen handler Thomas Schaaf regretted the point they had dropped at home to Barca earlier in the campaign but promised a bitter fight to the end.
”We sell our lives dearly and we will continue to do so.”
Benitez on the other hand, while pleased to have secured a last 16 spot for his 2005 champion, was more interested in actual bodily harm perpetrated by Bordeaux’s Fernando Menegazzo on John Arne Riise.
Riise was forced to leave the pitch with blood pouring from a head wound following the ugly incident midway through the second half.
”There is no place in football for things like that,” said Benitez.
”I didn’t see it clearly when it happened but I saw the wound to Riise’s head when he came off.
”We want to see good football and goals, not this kind of thing.”
Roma coach Luciano Spalletti wants to see goals from his side.
”We need to start putting away our chances if we have ambitions of going far in this competition,” he said.
”The opportunities are being created, but we have to put them away. If you fail to do so in this competition, with all the quality teams that you come up against, you will inevitably be punished sooner or later.”
Sentiments that Rijkaard would no doubt echo. — AFP
