Akhirnya Klub Inggris Cetak Skor di Liga Champions
At Last, an English Team Scores in Europe
Editor : Ismail Gani
Translator : Novita Cahyadi
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Paris (B2B) - Chelsea sukses tidak mengikuti jejak ketiga klub Inggris sebelumnya yang masing-masing kalah 0-2 pada leg pertama 16 Besar Liga Champions, setelah seri 1-1 melawan tuan rumah Galasaray, pada leg pertama 16 Besar Liga Champions di kandang Galatasaray pagi ini.
Chelsea memang memulai laga dengan lamban, namun satu serangan balik nan cepat mengantarkan mereka unggul cepat 1-0 pada menit 9.
César Azpilicueta yang bermain di sayap kiri mengirimkan umpan sempurna kepada Fernando Torres yang melepaskan tendangan ke gawang Galatasaray yang sudah terbuka. 1-0 untuk Chelsea, seperti dilansir Yahoo Sports.
Beberapa menit dari gol itu Didier Drogba mencoba menyamakan kedudukan, sedangkan Willian dan Torres juga terus melakukan tusukan untuk Chelsea tapi gagal dimentahkan kiper Fernando Muslera.
Hakan Baita, Izek Hajrovic dan Wesley Sneijder juga melakukan upaya sama namun dimentahkan barisan belakang Chelsea dan kiper Petr Cech.
Pada menit 31 pelatih Galasaray Roberto Mancini menarik Izek Hajrovic untuk digantikan Yekta Kurtulu. Pemain berusia 22 tahun itu hanya bermain 30 menit pada debutnya di Liga Champions karena Mancini berusaha mengatasi defisit gol.
Pada babak pertama ini Chelsea mendapat tekanan hebat dari tuan rumah yang menguasai permainan dengan mendominasi sirkulasi bola 61 persen, sedangkan Chelsea hanya 39 persen atau praktis mengandalkan serangan balik. Tapi di babak ini The Blues bermain lebih efisien dengan lebih mengancam gawang Galatasaray lewat enam upaya golnya.
Setelah 64 menit memimpin dengan 1-0, Chelsea akhirnya kebobolan untuk disamakan Galatasaray 1-1 pada menit 65.
Aurelien Chedjou melepaskan tendangan kaki kanan dari jarak sangat dekat ke sudut kanan bawah gawang Petr Cech setelah menerima umpan Wesley Sneijder menyusul sebuah tendangan penjuru.
Upaya pelatih Roberto Mancini memasukkan Semih Kaya pada babak kedua menampakkan hasil, tidak hanya membuat Galatasaray kokoh di belakang sehingga Chelsea hanya bisa menambah tiga upaya gol pada babak ini, namun juga memperbanyak peluang gol Galatasaray menjadi sembilan peluang dari tiga yang bisa diciptakan pada babak pertama.
Setelah gol Chedjou, pelatih Chelsea Jose Mourinho menukar gelandang serang Andre Schurrle dengan John Mikel Obi, sedangkan Torres diganti oleh Samuel Eto´o, pada waktu bersamaan dalam menit 68. Namun ini tak mengubah keadaan.
Pada menit 80 Mancini memberi kesempatan Umut Bulut untuk menambah gol dengan menggantikan Didier Drogba, sedangkan Mourinho menarik Eden Hazard untuk diganti Oscar.
Hasil seri dan satu gol tandang ini menjadi bekal sangat berarti bagi Chelsea dalam menjalani laga leg kedua nanti di Stamford Bridge.
Paris - Chelsea became the only English team to secure a positive result from the Champions League last 16 first leg ties with a 1-1 draw away at Galatasaray.
The visitors led at half-time thanks to an early goal from Fernando Torres, but Galatasaray improved in the second half and restored parity after the hour mark when Cameroon defender Aurelien Chedjou found the net.
A draw was a fair reflection of the way the game went, but Chelsea will now hope to finish the job in the return at Stamford Bridge on March 18.
Meanwhile, his opposite number Roberto Mancini admitted his team´s second half display also gives them a chance.
Mourinho opted to select Torres in attack ahead of Samuel Eto´o in one of three changes to the team that beat Everton at the weekend, with Ramires and Andre Schuerrle also coming in.
It proved to be an excellent decision as it was Torres who finished off a clinical breakaway to put the Blues in front with just nine minutes played, giving Chelsea the lead they deserved as their hosts paid for a poor start.
Former Arsenal man Emmanuel Eboue lost possession high up the field, and Chelsea pounced down the left flank, Schuerrle releasing Cesar Azpilicueta, who advanced into the box and drew goalkeeper Fernando Muslera before squaring for his fellow Spaniard to apply an easy finish.
It was a sixth goal in his last five Champions League starts for Torres, and it briefly silenced the boisterous Turkish fans inside the impressive Turk Telecom Arena.
Chelsea could possibly have put the tie to bed in the minutes that followed, with Galatasaray utterly disorganised and poor in possession.
Willian had an effort comfortably stopped by the Uruguayan Muslera before Schuerrle´s low ball from the right – with the home defence at sixes and sevens – was met first time by Ramires at the edge of the box, but his shot flew high over the bar.
There was little by means of a response from Mancini´s men, with Didier Drogba unable to wriggle free from the marking of John Terry and Wesley Sneijder incapable of influencing proceedings from the left flank.
Winger Izet Hajrovic saw his snap-shot from 20 yards saved by Petr Cech, but the recent signing from Swiss side Grasshoppers was then the victim of a tactical switch by Mancini, who sent on central midfielder Yekta Kurtulus in his place and changed to a 4-2-3-1 formation.
Gala improved after that and an Alex Telles cross-cum-shot had Petr Cech panicked before Burak Yilmaz put the ball in the net after a quickly-taken throw, but with an extra ball on the pitch at the time, the Spanish referee disallowed the goal, and booked Chelsea skipper John Terry for throwing one ball away.
A lively Torres almost made it 2-0 for Chelsea in the 52nd minute, bursting through the middle of the home back line before seeing his shot turned behind for a corner by Muslera.
However, Galatasaray finally started to grow into the contest in the second half, the raucous crowd receiving a lift when Gary Cahill nearly turned the ball into his own net after intercepting a Burak Yilmaz pass intended for Drogba.
The Ivorian striker almost created an equaliser against his old club in the 62nd minute, heading down a left-wing cross for Selcuk Inan, but the home captain somehow contrived to stab the ball against the post from a yard out.
The Turkish champions were not to be denied a leveller three minutes later, though, Chedjou wriggling free of his marker to convert a Sneijder corner from point-blank range.
