Chelsea had all the possession, but simply lacked the creativity to score another goal. Villas-Boas tried to change things up by introducing Essien and Lampard into the game, but it was in vain. In the 65 th minute, a failed clearance by David Luiz allowed Lavezzi to take advantage and make it 3-1 by scoring into an unguarded net, after a pass from Cavani. Mata, Malouda and Drogba all came close to making it even, but they were denied by some heroic defending from the Italian side. In the second half, Chelsea attacked with all they had.
#Champions league 2011 2012 free
During first half stoppage-time, Napoli’s Inler managed to find Cavani with a perfect cross from a free kick, allowing the striker to put their team in front with a cheeky finish with his shoulder. Eleven minutes later, Lavezzi managed to draw it level with a sublime 25-yard shot that left Cech helpless. He did, however, surprised everybody by choosing to start with Meireles and Malouda as defensive and central midfielder instead of Essien and Lampard, who were perfectly fit for the game.Īfter a huge mistake by Napoli’s captain, Paolo Cannavaro, Juan Mata managed to take advantage and open the score with powerful left-foot shot from inside the box in the 27 th minute. As he always did in that season, Villas-Boas chose to start the game with a 4-3-3, the formation that brought him a lot of success at FC Porto. On the 25 th of February, they went up against Napoli at San Paolo in the round of 16. Being managed by André Villas-Boas, who won the Europa League with Porto in the previous season, they were far from the first place in the Premier League and struggled to qualify out of their Champions League group. In the middle of the 2011/2012 season, Chelsea wasn’t doing all that good. And to kick things off, we’re gonna be looking at one of the biggest fairy tales in football history: Chelsea winning the Champions League in 2012.
#Champions league 2011 2012 series
Those are the stories that stand out and that’s what this series is all about. Yeah it’s big, but it’s not as outstanding as when a team wins it for the first time, prevails against all odds, dominates in a manner that was never seen before or simply wins in one of the most beautiful matches you have ever witnessed. I mean, when Barcelona or Real Madrid win the Champions League, it’s just another trophy. Even if each story is unique in its own way, there are a select few that stand out more than the others. With each season played, a new story is written. European club football has a rich history.