27.02.2014 – At least one goal for an English club in the Champions League – Chelsea draws Galatasaray last night and has all to play for in the second leg at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea drew 1-1 at Galatasaray on Tuesday night; scoring an important away goal which will see the Blues favourites to progress to the quarter-finals.
All the talk before this UEFA Champions League first knockout stage encounter was about the strikers on show with Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho bemoaning his strikers’ lack of quality just days before the contest and Galatasaray forward Didier Drogba lining up against his old club.
Mourinho opted to play Fernando Torres up front and his selection paid off when the Spaniard claimed a crucial away goal inside 10 minutes after Cesar Azpilicueta had burst forward from left-back and pulled the ball back to the striker.
After taking a one goal lead, Chelsea looked mainly to strike on the counter attack with Galatasaray doing most of the pressing and looking to pull level. The Turkish side eventually found an equaliser just past the hour mark when, moments after the home side had struck the woodwork from a set piece, Aurelien Chedjou was left unmarked from a corner inside the six yard box and volleyed home to level the scores.
With other English clubs Arsenal, Manchester City and Manchester United all suffering 2-0 defeats in their respective first leg ties, 2011/12 Champions League winners Chelsea now have the strongest chance of representing the English Premier League in the next stage of the competition.
The second leg of this fixture will no doubt be an emotional occasion for ex-Chelsea striker Drogba with the Ivorian receiving warm embraces from his former teammates prior to kick off and being set to receive a tremendous ovation from the Stamford Bridge crowd.
Mourinho’s impressive home record makes Chelsea favourites to progress into the draw for the next round and, although European giants Bayern Munich and Real Madrid look extremely strong this year, Chelsea fans will be dreaming of a repeat of their success two seasons ago.
