Chelsea's road to Lisbon looks bright after Galatasaray win

Chelseas's defender Gary Cahill (left), Galatasaray player Umut
Bulut (center)and Chelsea defender John Terry (right) during
a Champions'sleague match on Tuesday 18 Match 2014. Chelsea
won 2-0. Photo courtesy of www.chelseafc.com.

By Kgotso Kennekae

Once again, Chelsea is has proven to be the last English club standing in Europe. Arsenal and Manchester City have eliminated, Manchester United are teetering hazardously on the brink of elimination and Spurs have been knocked out from the Europa League.


Didier Drogba’s much celebrated return to Stamford Bridge was ruined by goals from Gary Cahill and Samuel Etoo. Drogba who was making a return to Stamford Bridge since his final bow on the 19^th May 2012 failed to score on the night.

It was another giant of African football Samuel Etoo who scored the opener against a Galatasaray side whose defense was outshined by Chelsea attack all night. The blues positively started like a side which meant business.
Chelsea seized control of the last-16 tier four minutes into the match when Samuel Eto'o scored with a low shot after a lovely piece of skill by Eden Hazard and Oscar cut the Turkish side open. Etoo’s low shot was too powerful for Fernando Muslera who made an effort to save but the ball drifted into the net. It was a dream start which Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho wanted. Mourinho's team seemed to play with control and knowledge. 
The goal gave Chelsea a total control of the game, with Galatasaray offering little going forward. The first Galatasaray attack came on the 18^th minute as Drogba tried his luck from 18 yards out with a bicycle kick which flew well over.
Galatasaray had not won in eight previous visits to English clubs, drawing three and losing five. The odds of ending that streak were slight after Chelsea scored the first goal and it never looked like Mancini had the experience overturn that. The former Manchester City manager substituted one of his players after half an hour in the first leg but his tactics failed
Drogba frequently played on the side, after failing to outclass the Chelsea center back John Terry. He drifted wide in a bid to unsettle César Azpilicueta or Branislav Ivanovic but he couldn’t offer his team the performance they required because Azpilicueta outmuscled him by the touchline.

Drogba's first chance came from a free-kick and he put it so high. Chelsea’s second goal came from a combination of Britain based players being Lampard who took the corner. Terry headed it into Muslera but Cahill finished it off on rebound. Terry was the player who attacked the ball with the greatest intentions, with no one following his run. Muslera kept out the header but could only parry the ball into the six-yard area where Cahill followed in to volley his shot high into the net.
The second half was a cold and damp affair with Galatasaray looking resigned to defeat and Chelsea intending to finish the game off.

However the Chelsea fans were not to be bothered as they sang Drogba’s name throughout the last minutes of the game. KP