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Barcelona 2 Chelsea 2: Drogba and Chelsea draw last blood in battle with Barcelona

Sam Wallace
Wednesday 01 November 2006 01:55 GMT
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The great blue machine can be slowed but, as Barcelona found out last night, it can very rarely be stopped. On the turf by the touchline, Jose Mourinho knelt as if in supplication to celebrate Didier Drogba's 93rd-minute equaliser and another Chelsea renaissance of remarkable power, conviction and courage.

The European champions had been shocked into submission, their manager Frank Rijkaard was on the pitch at the end and had to be dragged away from the referee Stefano Farina - the Dutchman emphasised his disgust at the six minutes of injury time by depositing a mouthful of saliva on the ground. The knot of Chelsea players in a joyful huddle on the pitch told their own story - this was a night when the great football cathedral of the Nou Camp thrilled to an occasionally brilliant match, but was, in the end, silenced.

Ten bookings, and six of them for Chelsea players, an astonishing goal from Deco and one to match from Frank Lampard. All that before Eidur Gudjohnsen appeared to have secured sweet revenge on Mourinho by scoring Barcelona's second goal. That is the tale of last night before you even consider a bizarre moment in the first half when it seemed - wrongly, it transpired - that Ashley Cole had been awarded two yellow cards without being dismissed.

Picking an outstanding performer was the easiest job: he was Lionel Messi, the brilliant Argentine who dismantled the left flank of Chelsea's defence on more than one occasion. But the news for Barcelona is serious, they are now third in Group A, two points behind Werder Bremen and will have to beat the Germans and Levski Sofia to be sure of progressing into the next round.

As Barcelona seemed to be heading for their third victory in the six encounters between these two teams in three seasons the enraptured Nou Camp invited Mourinho to "go to the theatre" in protest at what they regarded as the dramatics of his team. Certainly Drogba seemed to lose his head in the early stages, complaining at non-existent fouls, stamping on Thiago Motta behind the referee's back but it was the striker whose fifth Champions' League goal in four matches was decisive.

Another conspiracy theory from the night: it is understood that Mourinho switched Chelsea's choice of kit from their usual black European away strip to all white in order to imitate Real Madrid and further incite his opponents. There can be fewer football men outside of Barcelona's deadly rivals who are less despised in this part of Catalonia than Mourinho.

It was one of those Champions' League nights when it is difficult to decide whether what you have witnessed was an affront to the dignity of the game or simply the brilliant, varied face of modern European football with its skill, its conniving and its all-consuming desire to win. Barcelona regard themselves as the technical masters of Chelsea, Mourinho's side who committed 29 fouls to their hosts' 13 simply refused to die. And in between the referee Farina almost lost control.

By the time Mourinho made his way into the press conference, lurid green grass stains imprinted on his knees, he had gone some way to nailing the truth about Barcelona's vulnerabilities. At Stamford Bridge on 18 October, Chelsea ambushed them after half-time, they did the same again last night although there was a twist in the tale. Through Gudjohnsen, Barcelona bit back and it took a period of injury time for Chelsea to finally tame Rijkaard's side.

Mourinho started with Arjen Robben on the left and no Andrei Shevchenko, even on the bench. His team were behind in three minutes when Khalid Boulahrouz unaccountably gifted the ball to Deco on the right flank. The Portuguese midfielder skipped across the face of the area and, as John Terry and Ricardo Carvalho lunged, dispatched a low shot into the far corner of Hilario's goal. Some goal, and the ideal way to light the match under the tie and Messi almost killed the tie when he exchanged passes with Gianluca Zambrotta and crossed for Ronaldinho who shot over the bar.

It was then that the game tipped closer to madness. Drogba, sent off here in March, twice claimed contact where none seemed to exist and exacted his revenge on Motta.

That was the first sign that Farina was losing control. Hilario kept Chelsea in the game in the 20th minute with a save from Xavi as Chelsea claimed a foothold in the match. Then a moment of confusion. Spanish television had already announced Cole had been booked for dissent when he chopped down Motta and earned a yellow card. From the England left-back's reaction it seemed that he thought he was about to be dismissed. But there was no red.

It later transpired that the initial yellow card had, in fact, been shown to Lampard. But by then Mourinho was on his feet at the touchline, the two sets of players squared up - Farina seemed to be little more than a helpless bystander as Messi shoved Boulahrouz. He might be a small man but the teenager is fearless.

Chelsea resumed after the interval a team that would not countenance defeat and, as they had before, Barcelona threatened to collapse. Robben's header forced a save from Victor Valdes then an exquisite low ball from Lampard on the left was angled perfectly into the stride of the winger. Robben shot meekly wide.

On 51 minutes, Lampard did much better himself. Claude Makelele looped a ball into the box that Lampard retrieved in the area but virtually on the goal-line to Valdes' right. From no angle at all, he turned and chipped the Barcelona goalkeeper to put the ball in the far corner. Did he mean to score from there? Either way it stood comparison with any goal these two teams have exchanged.

For Gudjohnsen's goal, Boulahrouz was at fault again, lunging for a ball and allowing Ronaldinho to whip it down and disappear down the wing. His cross, outside of the right foot, found Gudjohnsen who crashed the ball into the Chelsea goal. As an answer to Mourinho's taunts about his play-acting it was the perfect riposte and looked to have won the game.

But there was one more trick for Mourinho to play, he brought off Boulahrouz, sent on Michael Essien to right-back and put Joe Cole on in midfield. Back they came - first Michael Ballack missed from close range and then Terry headed down the ball for Drogba to turn Marquez and score. Chelsea remain unlovable, but the rest of Europe will have to prove they are also not unstoppable.

Barcelona (4-3-3): Valdes; Zambrotta, Puyol, Marquez, Van Bronckhorst; Deco, Motta (Edmilson, 57), Xavi ( Iniesta, 83); Messi, Gudjohnsen (Giuly, 77), Ronaldinho. Substitutes not used: Jorquera (gk), Belletti, Thuram, Saviola.

Chelsea (4-1-4-1): Hilario; Boulahrouz (J Cole, 75), Terry, Carvalho, A Cole; Makelele; Essien, Lampard, Ballack (Ferreira, 90), Robben (Kalou, 73); Drogba. Substitutes not used: Cudicini (gk), Geremi, Bridge, Wright-Phillips.

Referee: S Farina (Italy).

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