Some may say that the 4-0 scoreline flattered Chelsea, but the performance and attitude of the players was second to none after the blues managed a victory in the second group match against FC Nordsjaelland. There are certainly no easy matches in the Champions League and this match is a fine example.
Nordsjaelland threatened on a number of occasions and could have easily scored had it not been for the presence of Petr Cech. The 30-year-old goalkeeper was one of the key reasons for Chelsea’s 2012 Champions League victory. He was once again at its best against Nordsjaelland.
Chelsea looked like scoring with every attack in the match, but it was not until the deft pass by Frank Lampard to Juan Mata that they managed to break the deadlock. Conceding seemed to wake up the Danish club after they put up a strong fight.
David Luiz then broke their hearts 11 min from time with a Cristiano Ronaldo type freekick. A late flurry of goals from Juan Mata and Ramires gave the scoreline a flattering touch. This victory coupled with the draw for Juventus and Shakhtar Donetsk in the other group match helped Chelsea move to the top of the table.
Roberto di Matteo’s reaction after the match:
“I expected a difficult game. No matter what, they try to play their football, but it’s not easy. There are no pushovers, you see that from other results, the Champions League is difficult.
“Cech made a crucial save in the game, when its 1-0 it’s always dangerous, they commited players forward and that’s how football is.
“He [Fernando Torres] was excellent, it’s a shame he didn’t score when he had a chance but he played very well for the team, he was always a threat.”
Line-ups:
Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Cech, Ivanovic, Cahill, Luiz, Cole, Lampard, Ramires, Mata (Mikel 84), Oscar, Moses (Hazard 64), Torres
Goals: Mata 33, 81, David Luiz 79, Ramires 88
Nordsjaelland (4-2-3-1): Hansen, Parkhurst, Okore, Runje, Mtiliga, Stokholm, Adu, Lorentzen (Laudrup 84), Nordstrand (Ticinovic 64), John, Beckmann (Christensen 74)
Next Chelsea match: Norwich City at Stamford Bridge on October 6, 2012.
About the Author
1 thought on “Nordsjaelland 0-4 Chelsea: Report & Reaction”
Comments are closed.