Chelsea ground out a goalless draw to take back to Stamford Bridge in the second leg but suffered injuries and suspensions to key players
In pictures: the best images from the Vicente Calderón
A Joy of Six on great games involving Jose Mourinho sides would be hard to fill. That was an egregiously dull performance from his side and while they were excellent defensively, 0-0 can be a dangerous scoreline to take back to your stadium in a second leg; minds go back to Manchester United going out to Monaco in 1998 and Real Madrid in 2000 after that score. It's a costly draw too: Frank Lampard and Mikel will be suspended for the second leg, John Terry is a doubt and Petr Cech has apparently dislocated his shoulder. They'll back themselves to win at Stamford Bridge, though. They usually win at Stamford Bridge. But this tie is on a knife-edge. Thanks for reading. Night.
That was hard work.
90 min+6: Lampard plops it into Courtois' hands.
90 min+5: Ba, one of those two Chelsea strikers, wins a corner on the left...
90 min+4: Costa drops a shoulder and blooters one high into the stands. He's not had a good game. Chelsea replace Willian with Demba Ba. That's right: negative Chelsea are ending the match with two strikers on the pitch. Have that, critics!
90 min+3: You have to say that Jose Mourinho has shown the tactical clout of, say, a Roberto Di Matteo tonight. Koke shoots well wide.
90 min+2: Gabi's cross from a central position finds Costa but his header is tame and straight at Schwarzer.
90 min+1: There will be five added minutes. "Would it be hyperbole to suggest that Gary Cahill is underrated by English fans?" says Jarrell Anthony. "He doesn't seem to command the status of players such as "Ferdinand&Vidic" era Rio, despite being a major part of more than one European triumph." He's probably not quite at that level but he has been superb this season.
90 min: David Luiz, Frank Lampard and Willian stand over the ball. In the end, David Luiz takes it. And over it goes.
89 min: Torres, who has impressed here and there, shows great strength to take down a high ball and then nutmeg Miranda, who takes him down on the edge of the area. He's booked. What a chance for Chelsea here!
88 min: Chelsea get a bit excited and send one or two players forward. When it inevitably falls apart, Atletico break and a cross from the right looks to have the beating of Cahill, only for Costa, straining to reach it, to head against the Chelsea defender.
87 min:"Are all these aimless crosses Simeone's personal tribute to David Moyes?" says Rob Shine.
86 min: Raul Garcia is replaced by David Villa.
84 min: For one of the few times in the match, Sosa breaks in behind the Chelsea defence, escaping Cole's clutches and reaching the byline. He should fizz a low ball into the six-yard box but instead hangs up a cross to the far post. Guess what Raul Garcia does with his header.
83 min: Chelsea have been noticeably more chaotic since Terry's injury. A cross from the right is missed badly by David Luiz but takes Raul Garcia by surprise; he has a swing and a miss.
82 min: Diego Costa, who has been mostly quiet, receives a pass on his chest from Koke and, with his back to goal on the edge of the area, he tries a spectacular bicycle kick. It does not end well.
80 min: Another cross from Juanfran. Another header over the bar from Raul Garcia. It's been a bit predictable at times from Atletico.
79 min: Gabi locates Juanfran with a Xavi-esque pass on the right. He hangs up a cross to the far post and Koke rises above Azplicueta, only to head just wide. That was close. Atletico respond by replacing bringing on Jose Sosa for Mario Suarez.
78 min: Lampard can count himself very lucky not to be off. He's got away with two handballs now.
76 min: Schwarzer denies Gabi with a good save! The Chelsea wall seemed to disintegrate as Gabi's low bouncer made its way through and Schwarzer had to react well to push it behind.
74 min: Diego Costa finds Felipe Luis on the left and when Ramires slips, the left-back has space on the area. But there's a lack of conviction. He plays it to Raul Garcia. He delays. He delays. He delays. And then he shoots. Of course, it's blocked. Chelsea try to break but then Atletico scream for a free-kick as Lampard, on a booking, handles the ball! They want him off! Of course, we are then treated to something akin to a parliamentary debate involving both sides, with the referee trying to keep an eye on every last push, shove and dig that's going on around him. Lampard does his best to hide behind Mikel and he gets away with it. Mikel isn't so lucky. He's booked and will miss the second leg; so's Gabi, for pushing Azpilicueta. He'll also sit the second leg out. And he'll now take Atletico's free-kick.
73 min: Chelsea to bring on Andre Schurrle and move David Luiz into their defence. Terry actually didn't need a stretcher in the end; he's currently hobbling round the side of the pitch.
71 min: Terry falls in agony again once the ball is out of play. The stretcher is on. It seems that Terry might have injured himself by accidentally stepping on David Luiz's foot. Will he stop injuring his own players? He's like a Brazilian Phil Jones.
70 min: Terry is still hobbling around Chelsea's area. Surely he can't continue.
69 min: ... But before he can boot the ball up field, John Terry collapses in a heap! What's happened here? The replays shows that Diego Costa was in his general vicinity - but it looks like Terry has just rolled his ankle on the turf. He's in a considerable amount of pain. He's going to soldier on for the time being. Where's Jose Bosingwa when you need him?
68 min: Juanfran pokes a pass down the line to Arda Turan. Mikel slides in to concede a corner. And Schwarzer catches the cross...
66 min: Cesar Azpilicueta really is a strong defender. He looks like he's in trouble when Koke slips a pass inside him to Costa. The Atletico striker cuts inside but Azpilicueta does just enough to hold him off. Atletico keep pressing, though. The ball is flung into the area from the right; Schwarzer comes again but Mikel heads away with Costa threatening to steam in.
64 min: But Lampard's luck only lasts so long! He crunches into Turan and a booking means he will indeed miss the second leg. On ITV, the risible Andy Townsend makes sure to say that THE FOREIGN MAN "made the most of it" - it being THE ENGLISH MAN catching his ankle with his studs.
62 min: Juanfran's cross is blocked by Lampard on the right and a loud appeal for handball leads to the assistant referee flagging for a free-kick. Lampard is a booking away from missing the second leg but the referee doesn't seem to be in a mood to flash the cards tonight.
60 min: A loose ball sits up invitingly for Diego to strike from 20 yards, but it whistles not too far wide of the far post. And that's the end of Diego's evening. He's off, replaced by the wonderful Arda Turan, who's missed the last three weeks through injury.
59 min: Fernando Torres rolls back the years to, say, 2008 and embarks on a trademark 2008-Torres run from the left, quick feet allowing him to zigzag past a couple of challenges and into the area from the left. He checks back and tries to dig a curler towards the far post but it ends up in the arms of Courtois.
58 min: I feel sorry for the person who has to put a highlights package together. "Evening Jacob. I don't know as much about football as, say, David Moyes, but I know what I like," says Simon McMahon. "And I'd like either Bayern Munich or Real Madrid to win the Champions League this year."
56 min: More good work from Torres on the right leads to Ramires skittering into the area on the right. Atletico are grateful to Miranda for reading the danger. Willian was free to Ramires's left, but Chelsea have to settle for a corner in the end. Before Lampard can take it, the referee has to stop Cahill and Miranda engaging in shenanigans. Once that's out the way, Lampard's corner is headed away. All that wait for nothing!
55 min: Schwarzer hasn't been troubled yet but this was a poor piece of goalkeeping, his tame punch from Gabi's chip falling straight to Diego on the edge of the area. Schwarzer is momentarily stranded but Diego is forced to delay his shot, cutting inside and then drilling one through the bodies and straight at the Chelsea goalkeeper, who had got back into position.
53 min: Koke and Gabi exchange passes sharply on the edge of the area, the former breaking through and hooking a ball to the far post, where Cole heads behind. Schwarzer claims the corner with ease.
51 min: David Luiz returns. "Don't understand all the raving over Mourinho's bus tactics," says DVB. "0-0 is not a great result - Atleti are not PSG & will not be overawed in London. They've played Real & Barca 9 times this season. Why would they fear Chelsea? Mou of all people should remember last year's Copa final. Just don't understand why you would cede the massive advantage of an away goal." You're right that 0-0 away from home in the first leg can be a dangerous scoreline.
49 min: David Luiz crumples in a heap after being caught in the face by, er, Diego's shoulder. The two teams then get pwopa nawtee. It's hotting up. Diego Simeone thinks that Chelsea are playing for time.
48 min: Godin heads a cross away. It falls to Lampard, 25 yards out, and he fires tamely at Courtois. That's Chelsea's first shot on target, if I'm not mistaken. Atletico then attack and Mikel is forced to head Koke's dangerous cross away from the edge of the six-yard box. "Somehow there are remarkable parallels between this year's season and the one which saw Chelsea win the Cup," says Konstantin Sauer. "Last minute wins and parking the bus against a Spanish team. Hope Gary Neville will be commentating when Torres scores a 90th minute goal ."
47 min: David Villa is warming up for Atletico. He's not about to come on, but I wonder if he'd make a difference with his directness.
46 min: WHO'S. READY. FOR. FUN.
"I may be wrong but I'm not sure that Atletico are so good that they merit this blanket defence," says Niall Mullen. "Like a girl resisting my charms I'm not sure holding out here will be that much of an achievement for Chelsea."
"What are the chances of seeing Courtois running out of the Atletico dugout, making eye contact with Mourinho, and then both run in slow motion to end in a prodigal-sonish type of embrace?" says Rodrigo Moya. "'All is forgiven' whispers Jose, then Courtois changes into full Chelsea gear and replaces Shwarzer??? Yeah I didn't think so either."
Here are Jorge Valdano's thoughts on that first half. But Chelsea won't care. The onus is on Atletico, who have been short of ideas in the final third. and the visitors are 45 minutes away from securing a good result. They'd back themselves to go through if this first leg ends goalless.
45 min+3: David Luiz does fancy it, but he slams his effort straight into a wall which definitely wasn't 10 yards away.
45 min+2: Torres makes a nuisance of himself again, beating Godin to a loose ball and winning a free-kick around 20 yards from goal once the Uruguayan bumps him over. It's not an ideal shooting position, around 10 yards to the right of the D, but David Luis may fancy this.
45 min+1: There will be four added minutes. Diego shoots straight at Schwarzer from 30 yards. It's a shot on target! "I never thought I'd find myself defending Mourinho, for whom I have no affection, but it might be a bit unfair to lay this game entirely at his feet," says Peter Raleigh. "I like Simeone's Atletico side, but they have more than a whiff of pragmatism about them, and have been the architects of this sort of game themselves on a number of occasions." Very true. They haven't had enough variety in attack.
45 min: "Given that this is likely to be Ashley Cole's only significant appearance between January and the World Cup squad being named, is it fair to view this as his audition for a place?" says John Davis. "How's he doing?" He looks as good as ever.
44 min: Juanfran sends another cross into the area. Mikel heads it behind for a corner on the right. The noise increases but Koke's effort is awful, Lampard heading away at the near post.
41 min: Here's the first real glimpse of goal for Atletico. Juanfran hoicks a cross into the area from the right and a half-clearance in the middle only takes it as far as Costa, who's waiting on the left side of the area. He takes the ball down on his chest and for a moment I was expecting him to wallop a volley past Schwarzer, but Azpilicueta throws himself in front of the shot to block brilliantly. Costa appeals for handball and a penalty, but it wasn't.
40 min: You have to admire a man who manages to pull off the all-black suit.
37 min: Torres, who's got a largely thankless task tonight, scampers down the right flank and wins a corner off Godin. The giant Courtois claims Lampard's corner. "Do u feel, as I do, really sorry for the Atletico supporters that they've waited 40 years for this, only to be subjected to Mourinho's brand of anti-football," says Alex Blackham. "Not only them, but a sizeable portion of the world population are watching this. Where's the spectacle?!"
As West Ham fans know, it's a results business.
36 min: The Swedish referee has not done much to endear himself to Atletico. Now Koke's cross balloons way over the bar, but he's insistent that it was deflected over by Azpilicueta, only for another goal-kick to be awarded. "The thing is you can't have a reserve goalkeeper of Courtois' calibre," says Popoola Ore. "If a reserve goalkeeper is that good, he won't be a reserve for long; either usurping the first team keeper or leaving."
34 min: 25 yards from goal, Mario Suarez opens up his body and uses Cesar Azpilicueta as a shield, guiding a careful but firmly-struck shot towards the left corner. Schwarzer gets a faint touch on the ball to tip it wide - a fine save - but a goal-kick is awarded.
33 min: I've seen better games. Many of them did not involve a Jose Mourinho side.
31 min: Mikel, one of those walking a tightrope, barges Diego over around 35 yards from goal. He needs to be careful. It's probably too far out for Koke to shoot, so he crosses instead. Lampard heads away.
30 min: Koke cuts in from the left and curls a cross to the far post, where Raul Garcia has the height advantage over Ashley Cole. But the Chelsea defender uses his experience to lean in and make the header awkward enough for Garcia, who heads comfortably over.
28 min: Ramires wastes an excellent opportunity for Chelsea. Just when Atletico seemed to be turning the screw, Chelsea break for the first time, Willian finding space, bursting through the middle and spraying a pass to Ramires on the right. Suddenly Chelsea have a two-on-one situation, with Torres in the clear over to Ramires's left! He could either drive towards goal or try to find Torres, but his first touch is poor, taking him away from goal and allowing Godin to close the angle and eventually Ramires's dismal cross-shot drifts wide. If you can call it a cross-shot. That's just what you say when you're not sure which it was. Let's call it a kick.
27 min: Costa manages to eke out a cross into the area from the left. Terry is on hand to clear. There weren't many Atletico players in the box, though.
25 min: Not much is happening. Which is exactly how Chelsea want it. They've put the squeeze on Atletico and there's no way round the bus at the moment. "If the semis came down to a Fernando Torres penalty kick attempt against Thibaut Courtois, wouldnt that be the greatest game-deciding mixed-loyalty penalty kick since Gael Garcia Bernal lined up against Diego Luna in Rudo y Cursi?" says Ted Lee. "Only then, the stakes were demotion vs. being shot."
23 min: David Luiz steps on a rake as he tries to clear a cross from the right, allowing Raul Garcia to nip in and prod the ball to Costa on the right. But fortunately for Chelsea, he's offside. An escape for the visitors, because Costa was in space on the right of the area. He was probably too wide for a shot, but they'd rather not see him in that sort of position.
20 min: Torres diddles his way into the area from the left, his persistence forcing Miranda to concede a corner, Chelsea's first. Lampard swings it in and Courtois looks to be in trouble. He tries to reach the cross but gets nowhere near it and is relieved to see Cahill's header cleared off the line. But the reason he couldn't reach it is because Mikel was blocking him off. Atletico are awarded a free-kick. "I bet Chelsea wish they had a reserve keeper of Courtois's calibre on their books," honks Andy Dunn.
19 min: Atletico surprisingly take the corner short, working it back to Felipe Luis, whose cross is harmlessly headed wide by Costa. That's weird. That seemed like the perfect time to properly test Chelsea's reserve goalkeeper.
18 min: And that's the end of Cech's night! Chelsea's medical team tried to give Cech as long as possible but eventually Eva Carnerio turns round, looks at the bench and shakes her head. Cech might not have injured his knee actually - he's wincing as he holds his ribs. Mark Schwarzer, who was at fault for Sunderland's opener on Saturday, will replace him and immediately face a corner.
17 min: Jose Mourinho is in the fourth official's ear. I need to see that replay again. In real time, it looked like Garcia came charging into Cech for no good reason - but replays seems to suggest he was actually pushed into him by David Luiz. Cech is still receiving treatment. Mark Schwarzer is warming up.
15 min: The corner is whipped in with considerable pace from the left, dipping right under Cech's bar and forcing the Chelsea goalkeeper to push it over. But as he does so, Raul Garcia is given a slight shove by David Luiz and tumbles into Cech, sending him flying! As he falls, he seems to twist his knee and immediately signals that he needs to come off. Chelsea are furious.
14 min: The home fans whistle loudly and indignantly as Chelsea stroke the ball around for a while at the back. They're not going anywhere, though, they're just trying to take the sting out of it. "These whistles will be music to the ears of the Chelsea players," says Clive Tyldesley. A second later, Atletico have the ball back and quickly win a corner on the left.
12 min: Foul.
10 min: A moment of worry for Chelsea on the edge of the area, as Cole is caught dawdling by Raul Garcia. The ball breaks to Costa, whose snapshot is easily blocked - but the whistle had actually gone for a foul by Garcia on Cole. The home fans are already irritated with the referee and this one definitely has the potential to become very dirty. Which will either be very entertaining or very tiresome, depending on your moral compass.
9 min: Ramires lopes down the right and tries to play a one-two with the isolated Torres, who sends it out for a goal-kick. "Ashley Cole's barnet may look a bit random but actually it has been carefully designed to compensate for the aerodynamic drag of the beard," says Marie Meyer.
8 min: John, meet Diego. Diego, meet John. The first coming together between Costa and Jay Tee ends in a frank exchange of views, the Atletico striker pushing his future captain away from him.
6 min: Atletico ripped into Barcelona in the first 20 minutes when they beat them here in the quarter-finals, but there seems to be no chance of Chelsea being caught that cold. It's a tight, cagey start, neither side giving the other even the merest sniff of a chance yet. This could be very attritional.
4 min: Lampard hooks a pass over the top but Torres is strolling back from an offside position. The ball runs through to Courtois, who elects not to chuck it into his own net. So we have confirmation that he knows who he's playing for tonight. Atletico counter and Cole, who has grown a beard during his time on the sidelines, catches Raul Garcia, who decides to have a quick lie-down. He'll be fine to continue, much as he's debating the merits of that challenge with the Chelsea left-back.
2 min: It's been a positive start from the home side. Costa finds a pocket of space on the right and slips a pass inside to Diego, who skews a shot well wide from 25 yards. Maybe that goal against Barcelona really was a once-in-a-lifetime effort. A fluke. Or maybe not. "Chelsea haven't been the same since Mata left," says Ian Burch. "There's no guile or sublety and they just flounder when the opposition pack their defence and invite Chelsea on. Also Mata was the only likeable player they had and possibly the only player in the squad you could invite around your house who wouldn't then drink you out of house and home, look for spare change down the back of your sofa, make a pass at your other half and kick your cat when you were out of the room. Come back Super Juan, I miss you."
And we're off! Atletico, attacking from right to left, get us going. Chelsea are all in imposing black. Felipe skids down the right and looks for Costa at the far post, but his cross is overhit. Atletico's fans are up for this. They're jumping and down, they're waving their scarves over their heads and they're making an almighty racket. It's just like Selhurst Park really, only it's all in Foreign.
The last time Mourinho faced Diego Simeone, he lost the Spanish Cup final. Also, the last time Diego Simeone faced Mourinho, he won the Spanish Cup final.
Bloke at passport control asked if I was going to game. "Mourinho," he said. "He's this." Then taps head. They don't like him here.
And here come the teams, striding out into a bouncing Vicente Calderon. Atletico Madrid, remember, haven't lost yet in this competition but the mind games have started in earnest, Chelsea keeping Atletico waiting for as long as possible in the tunnel. Jose, you crafty so and so! "Salman Majid is bang-on right," says Matt Dony. "That's exactly why Jose should have had the United gig. Fergie could send out a team of limited players believing they could beat anyone. Moyes simply can't, as he's proven this season ad nauseum, and that's been the problem. He is very similar to Fergie in many ways, and I can see why he would be 'chosen', but so very different in that one crucial way. He just can't instil the belief, determination and loyalty that Fergie, Jose, and a handful of other top end managers can."
"I'm a Liverpool fan," apologises Rob Marriott. "Now, I don't wish Chelsea any ill in Europe, but I'm sure I'm not the only one (City fans included) who'll be wondering what their team selection tonight means with regards to Sunday's match. So, Jacob, as someone who is paid to understand football a bit, what does this team selection mean with regards to Sunday's match? Surely, given the importance of beating Atletico, they're not saving their best attacking players for the weekend? Well, I say surely, but, you know, Jose."
I see what you mean, but genuinely think you're simply fretting too much, in the way all Liverpool fans are. The other day, the Guardian's resident Kopite, Gregg Bakowski, looked at me, fear in his eyes and said plaintively, his voice barely audible: "What percentage chance do you give Liverpool winning the league?" You've all gone weird.
There are players who need to be on their guard tonight; a yellow would leave them on the naughty step in the second leg. For Atletico: Juanfran, Gabi and Koke. For Chelsea: David Luiz, Frank Lampard, John Obi Mikel and Willian.
"What's with Atletico losing their main striker and coming back the next season with another excellent one?" says John Galt. "Torres, Forlan, Aguero, Falcao and now seemingly Diego Costa. Who's next in line?"
Torino's Ciro Immobile is apparently in the frame. Paolo Bandini wrote about him here.
"The special One has a point to prove now the Chosen One is gone," says Kiran Kulkami. "I think he needs that Champions League more than anybody else. However the problem for Mourinho this season is that he has been aggressive more in front of the camera & mic than any of his strikers have been in front of the net."
"Love him or hate him, you gotta admit - Mourinho is a genius," says Salman Majid. "Theatricals, arrogant swagger aside, he can read the games and instil the determination and will in his teams that many a timeswins them the game!I am sure many of the United and Arsenal supporters would havebeen delighted if he was at the helm."
It does seem that there will be very little attacking intent from Chelsea this evening, not that there's anything wrong with that, but they have an impeccable record in big games this season and certainly took Manchester City by surprise in February. However Hazard, Ivanovic, Hazard, Matic and Eto'o played in that win.
"What on earth day do we do about Jose?" says Ian Copestake. "His team will be taken to the cleaners by this dynamic side (the way they harried Barcelona was borderline terrifying), and then I believe Jose will have another trip to the cleaners at Anfield. I am loving my football at the moment."
It's a dangerous game underestimating Chelsea, Ian. Chelsea are eminently capable of holding Atletico and then overwhelming them at home.
Beep! Beep! Beep! It's the Chelsea bus! Or at least that's what it looks like on paper. With Eden Hazard not even fit enough to make the bench, Jose Mourinho has packed his midfield with hustlers, runners, toilers and John Obi Mikel, with Ramires presumably in an advanced position on the right; creators such as Andre Schurrle and Oscar are on the bench, but Fernando Torres, who has been sort of impressive in the Champions League this year, starts against his old club. Ashley Cole, the forgotten man of the Bridge, also starts at left-back in the absence of the suspended Branislav Ivanovic, which is a surprise - David Luiz was expected to be at right-back, but he's in midfield. So, at first glance, Mourinho is going 19th century. But be careful, there's an angle here, something we haven't noticed, something he'll surprise us and Atletico with. As for the home side, Diego Simeone leaves David Villa on the bench and starts with Diego, the hero of the Nou Camp, instead. Thibaut Courtois also starts and that's interesting because irony.
Atletico Madrid: Courtois; Juanfran, Miranda, Godin, Filipe Luis; Raul Garcia, Gabi, Mario Suarez, Koke, Diego; Diego Costa. Subs: Aranzubia, Tiago, Villa, Turan, Rodriguez,
Sosa, Alderweireld.
Hello. Let's start with four quick points.
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