A Chelsea side that has not been seen for nearly two years showed up to Stamford Bridge on Wednesday, beating Champions League holders Barca 1-0. Chelsea played a near perfect game, and I will break it down for you.
The game saw the pivtol moment come in first half injury time. No not Drogba's goal, but rather Messi's injury. While the ball was live, he seemed to slip on the wet pitch, and looked like he tore his right groin. Though he continued to play, the Messi we saw was not the Messi of the Golden Ball. But why was the only goal in the game NOT the turning point? Because Messi's injury affected the whole rest of the game. He gave the ball away that set up Drogba's goal just seconds later, and hit a free kick from 20 yards out into the bottom of the wall; not very Messi like indeed.
The stats are so lopsided in some areas it's amazing; and most are in BARCA'S favor! They had 79% of the possession, and 24 shots, 6 on goal. But Petr Cech played one of the best games of his life, saving all of the Catalans shots on goal. Though Barca wasted several chances, with Cesc Fabergas shanking two open chances on net, and Alexis Sanchez putting too much power on a Messi like chip, in the 9th minute, that bounced of the cross bar. Gary Cahill and John Terry were rock solid at the back, blocking Messi, literally, from putting his shots on goal. But, the real story of the game was indeed, Didier Drogba. Though I may have robbed him of the pivotal moment, he was man of the match for sure. Despite hitting the turf 7-8 times with an injury, he continued on to lead a perfect Chelsea side to a memorable victory. Now, if the Blues can win at the Nou Camp, they will move on to their 2nd Euro Cup final ever.
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