news
Tue 24 Nov 2015
The Blues will return home from Israel
with a very important three points thanks to goals from four different
scorers on a warm night by the Mediterranean.
Gary Cahill gave his side a first-half lead following a corner but it took until the final 20 minutes for the security of further goals to be added. Chelsea, in control for much of the first-half, took time to return to that level after the break.
Our ex-defender Tal Ben Haim did not help the home team’s cause when he was sent off before half-time and in the second period both goalkeepers were in form and made good saves before Willian continued his remarkable season.
His goal was his sixth from a free-kick this campaign and was quickly followed by Chelsea’s third, scored by his fellow Brazilian Oscar. Substitute Kurt Zouma, on for an injured John Terry, completed the scoring in stoppage time but Dynamo Kiev’s 2-0 win in Porto means we have to wait until the final group game to seal a place in the knockout stage, although our fate when the Portuguese side visit Stamford Bridge next month is in our own hands.
The majority of the changes Jose Mourinho made to his starting line-up from Saturday’s win over Norwich were in defence, with Cesar Azpilicueta, Cahill and Baba Rahman, who made his debut in the home meeting with the Israeli champions, returning. Further forward, Oscar was recalled in place of Pedro and operated centrally with Eden Hazard back out on the left.
Mourinho in one of his pre-match interviews, had commended the impressive stadium opened only one year ago but expressed reservations about pitch. It was quickly apparent after kick-off that on an already bumpy surface, further divots would dig up during the course of the evening. Our manager revealed after the match that Ramires had been injured due to the pitch in training the night before, and he believed it played a part in Terry going off too.
The first chance of the game, inside two minutes, bypassed the grass and was from an aerial attack by the home side. Midfielder Nosa Iglebor headed over when he might well have scored.
Chelsea responded rapidly but no one could meet Oscar’s squared ball across the area after the Brazilian had escaped behind the defence down the right.
Maccabi were lively though, and it took a second attempt at a block by Cahill to prevent Avraham Rikan on the counter-attack breaking through. End-to-end was the best description of the opening 10 minutes and Azpilicueta side-footed wide having been found by a trademark Oscar back-heel.
Chelsea began to get a tighter grip on the game. We were trying use the width of the pitch to our advantage and ping the ball around with good pace. What we needed now were attempts on goal.
One came from Cesc Fabregas whose well-crafted chipped shot had just a little too much power and cleared the target. In was a very short stay of execution for Maccabi Tel Aviv.
Willian sent over a corner and such was the force behind Cahill’s header and so close-in was the England defender when he met the ball, most in the stadium were expecting the net to bulge. Predrag Rajkovic pulled off an extraordinary save but only onto the post. Cahill gleefully stabbed in the rebound. It had taken 20 minutes to go ahead.
Gary Cahill gave his side a first-half lead following a corner but it took until the final 20 minutes for the security of further goals to be added. Chelsea, in control for much of the first-half, took time to return to that level after the break.
Our ex-defender Tal Ben Haim did not help the home team’s cause when he was sent off before half-time and in the second period both goalkeepers were in form and made good saves before Willian continued his remarkable season.
His goal was his sixth from a free-kick this campaign and was quickly followed by Chelsea’s third, scored by his fellow Brazilian Oscar. Substitute Kurt Zouma, on for an injured John Terry, completed the scoring in stoppage time but Dynamo Kiev’s 2-0 win in Porto means we have to wait until the final group game to seal a place in the knockout stage, although our fate when the Portuguese side visit Stamford Bridge next month is in our own hands.
The majority of the changes Jose Mourinho made to his starting line-up from Saturday’s win over Norwich were in defence, with Cesar Azpilicueta, Cahill and Baba Rahman, who made his debut in the home meeting with the Israeli champions, returning. Further forward, Oscar was recalled in place of Pedro and operated centrally with Eden Hazard back out on the left.
Mourinho in one of his pre-match interviews, had commended the impressive stadium opened only one year ago but expressed reservations about pitch. It was quickly apparent after kick-off that on an already bumpy surface, further divots would dig up during the course of the evening. Our manager revealed after the match that Ramires had been injured due to the pitch in training the night before, and he believed it played a part in Terry going off too.
The first chance of the game, inside two minutes, bypassed the grass and was from an aerial attack by the home side. Midfielder Nosa Iglebor headed over when he might well have scored.
Chelsea responded rapidly but no one could meet Oscar’s squared ball across the area after the Brazilian had escaped behind the defence down the right.
Maccabi were lively though, and it took a second attempt at a block by Cahill to prevent Avraham Rikan on the counter-attack breaking through. End-to-end was the best description of the opening 10 minutes and Azpilicueta side-footed wide having been found by a trademark Oscar back-heel.
Chelsea began to get a tighter grip on the game. We were trying use the width of the pitch to our advantage and ping the ball around with good pace. What we needed now were attempts on goal.
One came from Cesc Fabregas whose well-crafted chipped shot had just a little too much power and cleared the target. In was a very short stay of execution for Maccabi Tel Aviv.
Willian sent over a corner and such was the force behind Cahill’s header and so close-in was the England defender when he met the ball, most in the stadium were expecting the net to bulge. Predrag Rajkovic pulled off an extraordinary save but only onto the post. Cahill gleefully stabbed in the rebound. It had taken 20 minutes to go ahead.
There was some strong and well-judged defending by young Baba Rahman to slow an attack from Dor Peretz as the home side threatened to strike back.
Diego Costa bicycle-kicked over an Azpilicueta cross and the keeper had to punch away a Willian free-kick from the right as the quest for more daylight between the teams went on.
A couple of times the Blues almost short-passed right through the middle of the Maccabi defence, with a last-ditch tackle surely preventing a certain Diego Costa goal.
The game turned further in the favour of Mourinho’s men close to the break with the dismissal of Tal Ben Haim. Our former defender, who endured a miserable return to Stamford Bridge back in September when he gave away a goal and a penalty, was chasing Diego Costa midway inside the Maccabi half when he hacked down our striker in a failed attempt to tackle. Referee Alberto Undiano Mallenco from Turkey saw enough danger in the kick to produce a straight red. Chelsea would contest the second half both a goal and a man up.
It was the home side however who came closer to scoring at the start of the second period when full-back Eli Dasa was found in acres of space at the far post. It needed Asmir Begovic at his sharpest to keep out the shot.
Fabregas, again looking back on form, was pulling plenty of strings and from his long pass, Azpilicueta inside the home side’s penalty area was not far from picking out Diego Costa in front of the target.
Nemanja Matic became the only player booked close to the hour mark for a foul on Gal Alberman. Then the two goalkeepers briefly took over.
Hazard on the run drew a save from Rajkovic which could be described as regulation, unlike his one moments later from Azpilicueta’s close-range volley which was special. Our next attack was broken up on the edge of the area and a long ball let in Maccabi skipper Eran Zahavi. Begovic’s save to touch the diagonal strike wide was from the top drawer too.
It emphasised the slender nature of the advantage and we had to protect it for the final 20 minutes without John Terry who was carried off with what looked an ankle injury. Zouma came on with Pedro having replaced Hazard minutes earlier.
Chelsea had been awarded a free-kick prior to the skipper’s 72nd-minute substitution and it was perfectly placed for a direct strike from Willian. There have to be questions about the Maccabi wall which was beaten by a fairly low shot over it that left the keeper rooted and helpless, but it was still a superb goal from our season’s top scorer.
That took much of the remaining tension out of the game and the contest was finished for good three minutes later when we added an open-play goal to the set-piece ones. Baba Rahman can take plenty of credit for his cross into the six-yard box and Oscar was there to head home.
Pedro went close to a fourth before Zouma netted the goal that ensured the final score matched the one when these sides met at Stamford Bridge. Oscar took a corner and Rajkovic could not keep out the young Frenchman’s powerful header.
It was a deserved win even if most of the goals came late on. We have recorded back-to-back victories for the first time in two months.
Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Begovic; Azpilicueta, Cahill, Terry (c) (Zouma 72), Baba; Fabregas, Matic; Willian (Remy 78), Oscar, Hazard (Pedro 68); Diego Costa.
Unused subs Blackman, Ivanovic, Mikel, Loftus-Cheek.
Scorers Cahill 20, Willian 73, Oscar 77, Zouma 90+1
Booked Matic 59
Maccabi Tel Aviv (4-3-3): Rajkovic; Dasa, Ben-Haim, Carlos Garcia, Ben-Harush; Rikan, Alberman (Azulay 85), Peretz; Igiebor, Zahavi (c) (Itzhaki 89), Ben Haim II (Ben Basat 80).
Unused subs Lifshitz, Tibi, Vermouth, Mitrovic.
Sent off Ben Haim 41
Referee Alberto Undiano Mallenco from Turkey.
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