Aksi Brilian Torres, Antar Skuad Asuhan Mourinho Pimpin Grup
Torres Brilliance Sends Mourinho`s Men to Top of the Group
Editor : Cahyani Harzi
Translator : Dhelia Gani
 b.jpg)
Gelsenkrichen (B2B) - Fernando Torres menandai penampilan cemerlang ke-100 bersama Chelsea saat menang 3-0 dalam laga tandang melawan Schalke Rabu dini hari (23/10). Klub asuhan Jose Mourinho ini akhirnya selamat dari ujian keras di Grup E Liga Champions.
Schalke harus menelan pahit akibat buruknya barisan belakang mereka ketika Torres menciptakan gol pembuka pada menit kelima, dan ketika tim tamu berupaya keras menyamakan kedudukan, Torres malah menciptakan gol kedua pada babak kedua, seperti dilansir Yahoo News.
Torres nyaris menciptakan hat-trick namun sundulannya membentur tiang gawang. Eden Hazard tak menyianyiakan umpan Torres untuk mengunci kemenangan 3-0 Chelsea pada menit-menit terakhir.
Chelsea pantas menang dan kini sama-sama mengemas enam poin dengan Schalke di puncak klasemen setelah Basel ditahan seri 1-1 oleh Steaua Bucharest pada pertandingan lain.
Dengan dua laga kandang tersia, termasuk menjamu Schalke 6 November nanti, juara Liga Champions 2012 itu sepertinya bisa menghindari pengalaman pahit musim lalu, tersingkir di fase grup.
Mourinho mengubah susunan pemain dari formasi pekan lalu saat mengalahkan Cardiff City 4-1. Torres kembali masuk starting line-up bersama pemain timnas Jerman Andre Schuerrle, sedangkan Cesar Azpilicueta secara mengejutkan ditunjuk sebagai bek kiri.
Schalke menjalani laga dengan persiapan yang mengecewakan dengan hanya sekali menang pada 10 laga terakhirnya termasuk kala melawan Bayern Munchen, sedangkan kemenangan 3-2 atas Eintracht Braunschweig pekan lalu ditandai oleh tidak meyakinkannya penampilan mereka.
Gelsenkrichen (B2B) - Fernando Torres marked his 100th start for Chelsea with a brace in a 3-0 win away to Schalke on Tuesday as Jose Mourinho´s side safely negotiated a tough test in Champions League Group E.
Schalke were punished for slack defending as Torres opened the scoring in the fifth minute and, as the hosts pushed forward in search of an equaliser, the Spaniard netted again at the end of a second-half breakaway.
The oft-maligned forward might even have had a hat-trick, but he hit the woodwork with a header and Eden Hazard ignored the chance to pass to the Spaniard when he went through alone to seal the win late on.
Chelsea were deserving winners as they comfortably soaked up everything that Schalke threw at them in Gelsenkirchen, and the London club now find themselves level with Schalke on six points at the top of the group after Basel were held 1-1 away by Steaua Bucharest in the night´s other game.
With two home matches still to come, including the return against Schalke on November 6, the 2012 European champions look well-placed to avoid a repeat of last season´s group-stage exit.
Mourinho made a raft of changes to the team that beat Cardiff City 4-1 at the weekend. Torres returned to the starting line-up along with German international Andre Schuerrle, while Cesar Azpilicueta was surprisingly selected as a left-back in the absence of Ashley Cole.
Schalke came into the game having lost just once in their last 10 outings - and that against Bayern Munich - but they were unconvincing in Saturday´s 3-2 victory at Eintracht Braunschweig and they paid the price for a lack of concentration by falling behind with just five minutes on the clock.
