Chelsea through despite loss
Drogba's injury will be of concern to Chelsea fans ahead of the Man United game
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Wednesday, 22, Nov 2006 10:54
Chelsea qualified for the knockout stage of the Champions League despite losing to Werder Bremen 1-0 as they have a better head-to-head with their group A opponents.
There was also an injury scare ahead of the weekend showdown with Manchester United as Didier Drogba limped out of the game halfway through the second half.
Per Mertesacker scored the winner after slack marking at a corner allowed him to thunder a header past Carlo Cudicini midway through the first half.
The goal was a little controversial as the corner had come as a result of what was seen by experts as a disputable free kick on the outside of Chelsea's box.
The Blues began the game without the suspended Frank Lampard for the first time in 35 Champions League games as Shaun Wright Phillips and Mikel Jon Obi both got rare starts, while Andriy Shevchenko began on the bench.
Obi missed an open goal after John Terry's knockdown while the scores were still level and Chelsea were made to regret the miss.
Joe Cole and Michael Ballack both had efforts saved by Tim Wiese in the Bremen goal before half-time in what was a spirited response from the Premiership side.
The injury to Drogba came after the break. Having already hurt his ankle in a challenge he then fell awkwardly and compounded the problem. At this stage the seriousness of the injury is not known.
The closest Chelsea came in the second-half was a late Michael Essien drive, but the result as it finished was enough for the Blues to progress.
Captain Terry will miss the next game after receiving a yellow card for dissent, however.