Chelsea 0-1 Inter Milan (aggregate 1-3)
Didier Drogba was sent off in the closing stages
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Tuesday, 16, Mar 2010 11:59
By Darren Plant.
Jose Mourinho made a special return to Stamford Bridge as a late Samuel Eto'o goal saw his Inter Milan side beat Chelsea 1-0 and reach the Champions League quarter-finals 3-1 on aggregate.
Chelsea struggled to create chances against Mourinho's Italian champions, and after Inter had wasted several chances, Eto'o struck 13 minutes from time to leave Chelsea waiting at least another year to win their first Champions League trophy.
Didier Drogba was dismissed in the final few minutes after an off-the-ball incident with Thiago Motta, but it did not affect the final outcome as Inter's sheer doggedness gave them a deserved victory.
Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti made one change from the side that beat West Ham at the weekend, by bringing in Yuri Zhirkov for Paolo Ferreira, while Inter boss Mourinho named an attacking line-up, which included Goran Pandev joining Eto'o and Diego Milito as part of a front three.
After all the fireworks concerning Mourinho's return to Stamford Bridge, the match itself started quietly until Maicon blazed a shot over for Inter from the edge of the area.
However, Chelsea responded well and Michael Ballack found space 30 yards out, but he dragged his low shot just wide of Julio Cesar's right hand post.
That was as good as it got for the home side for the opening quarter of the match as Inter stifled Chelsea's usual efficiency with the ball, but after 25 minutes, the ball fell kindly to Drogba who saw his shot superbly blocked by Maicon before Frank Lampard blazed over from long range.
Eto'o had a golden chance to extend Inter's advantage on 33 minutes when Maicon followed a fantastic diagonal ball to the back post but the Cameroon striker headed the ball into the ground and the ball looped over the bar.
Chelsea began to build up a head of steam as the half reached a conclusion with only the timely interventions of Walter Samuel and Motta stopping Florent Malouda and Nicolas Anelka giving Chelsea a half-time lead.
The home side began the second half where they left off, but still Inter halted their attempts at creating a clear-cut opportunity with only a weak Drogba free-kick forcing Julio Cesar into a save.
Moments later, Malouda tried to catch the goalkeeper out at his near post with a fierce left foot shot but the Brazilian stopper forced the ball behind.
After a flurry of yellow cards, Inter began to threatening up the other end and after a last-ditch Zhirkov challenge denied Pandev, Milito forced Ross Turnbull into a save at his near post.
A few minutes later, Milito had another chance to put his side in front, but after getting behind the Chelsea defence, he dragged the ball past the post.
The Italian champions were well on top, but a further chance went begging when a Wesley Sneijder cross found Motta free at the back post but he headed over from six yards.
Ancelotti introduced Salomon Kalou into the action in the hope he could repeat his goalscoring exploits of the first leg, but despite looking lively, he shot harmlessly over the bar from 25 yards.
However, with 13 minutes remaining, Inter killed off the tie through Eto'o. Sneijder lofted a precise ball over the top into the path of the Cameroonian and after he broke clear of Branislav Ivanovic, he drilled a shot past Turnball with the outside of his boot just inside the near post.
Things went from bad to worse for Chelsea when referee Wolfgang Stark adjudged that Drogba had stamped on Motta inside the Inter penalty area and he sent off the striker.
Eto'o could have made it two in injury-time but he was excellently denied by Turnbull, but it did not matter as Chelsea bowed out timidly at the last-16 stage as the special one came back to haunt his old club.