ESPN FC’s Alejandro Moreno and Craig Burley look at Chelsea’s first victory in the UEFA Champions League.
Chelsea secured their first win in the Champions League this season with a 1-0 win away at Sporting Lisbon, though the match remained in the balance until the final whistle due to their own wastefulness.
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Rui Patricio in the Sporting goal was the thorn in Chelsea’s side as he thwarted four one-on-one situations and was a commanding presence in the air all night. Irrespective of the goalkeeper’s heroics, Chelsea will know that they made a rod for their own back by failing to convert any of those chances and a wealth of other openings that on another occasion would have laid the platform for a landslide win.
Despite all the clever movement and interplay from the Londoners, it was a set piece that won it with Nemanja Matic heading home from a Cesc Fabregas free kick. Although the floodgates look set to open, it turned out to be the only goal of the game. In the first half Sporting played a high line and were constantly picked off by some incisive passing from the visitors, who could and should have been over the hill and far away by halftime.
The failure to establish a safety net between themselves and the opposition allowed the Portuguese club to regroup at the break and come out with renewed purpose for the second half. Nani was the architect of the majority of Sporting’s better moments and it looked like they might just sneak a point with him leading the charge. Given the balance of play and the chances wasted by Chelsea, it would have been daylight robbery had the hosts gleaned anything from the game. Manager Jose Mourinho will be relieved that history did not repeat itself following the complacency that allowed Schalke to grab a draw a fortnight ago.
Player ratings
(GK) Thibaut Courtois, 7 — The Belgian had very little to deal with over the course of the 90 minutes with most of Sporting’s opportunities fizzing off target. The shots that did come his way were negotiated with his customary nonchalance and provided his back four with the necessary confidence during a frantic finish.
(DF) Branislav Ivanovic, 7 — Another solid performance from Chelsea’s marauding fullback. Was rarely troubled, though received a deserved yellow card when sensibly choosing to take one for the team by snuffing out a threatening Sporting attack. Was less conspicuous in attacking positions yet managed to support the more creative players when needed.
(DF) Filipe Luis, 6 — On only his second start for the club, the Brazilian showed good positional awareness and understanding with the other members of the back four, even popping up on the right hand side to halt a scything run from Nani. If there was one criticism, he could possibly have done more to link up with Eden Hazard from an attacking perspective.
(DF) John Terry, 8 — A typically stoic performance from the Chelsea captain. Was always in the right place at the right time and gave the Sporting forwards no space all evening. Always assured positionally, his distribution was also excellent, encapsulated by a delicious first time pass in the second half that released Diego Costa down the left flank.
John Terry provided calm and clearance for Chelsea’s back line against Sporting Lisbon.
(DF) Gary Cahill, 7 – Like his captain alongside him, Cahill put in a performance that will please his manager. However, there was one moment of confusion when he attempted to hook the ball into touch when a moment of composure might have suited him better — his hurried clearance ended up rebounding off Ivanovic. At the other end, his movement was excellent at set pieces and he could have got on the scoresheet with a header on the second half.
(MF) Nemanja Matic, 8 – The more Matic plays the better he seems to get with his display in the Portuguese capital being another masterclass in physical dominance. Constantly breaking up play in the first half, he got his just rewards with a well-timed run and header to score the winner. Sporting’s resurgence in the second half saw him having to cover more ground with the less defensively-minded Fabregas alongside him, but he still offered threat going forward with his delicate through ball to Costa thwarted only by Patricio’s brilliant decision-making.
(MF) Cesc Fabregas, 7 — Playing in the deeper role next to Matic, Fabregas’ brief was to pull the strings, something that he largely did with his natural excellence as his immaculate passing opened channels for his teammates to exploit. His delivery for the goal was inch-perfect, though that was a rarity on a night in which his dead ball execution was not always at his usual high level. He found himself overrun at times in the second half, which is always the risk when he plays that position and he eventually found himself in the referee’s book.
(MF) Oscar, 8 — Despite all the creative options, it was Oscar who was the most incisive, particularly in the first half. Costa, Andre Schurrle and Hazard were all beneficiaries of some wonderfully weighted passes and on another night he could have attained a wealth of assists against his name. It should have been even better after he found himself with just Patricio between him and the goal, but his toe poke was stopped by the keeper. Despite his miss, he was unfortunate to be withdrawn in the second half as John Obi Mikel was introduced to add greater rigidity to the team. Overall he can be delighted with his contribution in Lisbon.
If not for some star-studded goalkeeping from the opposition, Oscar might have collected several assists on the night.
(FW) Andre Schurrle, 6 — One of the best things about the German is that he is always highly conspicuous as he gives his all in every game he plays. The problem is that sometimes his endeavours are undermined by a lack of precision and unfortunately this was one of those nights. Some of his link-up play was delicious and yet he will ultimately look back on what might have been after being one of the biggest culprits in front of goal. He took a chance off the toes of Oscar who was in a better position, though worse was to come when he fired wide of an almost empty net having been played in by Hazard.
(FW) Eden Hazard, 8 — Like Oscar, Hazard will have no idea how he has no assists next to his name after this match. He served chances on a silver platter to all and sundry in the first half only to see the opportunities spurned every time. His defensive diligence will have pleased Mourinho and he worked enthusiastically backwards as well as forwards. Having received a booking for tripping Nani, he was substituted to ensure a better chance of his team not ending the game with 10 men.
(FW) Diego Costa, 7 — Somehow the Spain international did not get on the scoresheet despite another menacing performance. Costa really should have given Chelsea a second minute lead after latching onto a beautiful reverse pass from Oscar, but instead he became the first of Patricio’s victims for the evening. Even so, his intelligent movement tore the Sporting defence to shreds throughout the game, with one of their members reduced to the crudest of body-checks to stop a rampaging run in the second half — a challenge that saw the Brazilian defender receive a gash in his head for his troubles and force him to be replaced.
Substitutes:
(FW) Willian, 7 — The Brazilian was introduced in place of the misfiring Schurrle and gave Chelsea added ballast down the right flank. His selfless running provided excellent support for Costa in the latter stages.
(MF) John Obi Mikel, NR — Was brought on to shore up the midfield and did exactly what his manager asked of him. Did nothing spectacular but was steady and professional.
(FW) Mohamed Salah, NR – Had little time to make an impression yet still managed to find himself with a chance to settle the match, only to find an inspired goalkeeper blocking his path.