TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Chelsea managed to last 30 minutes in Vicente Calderon without conceding any goals, proving that they indeed have one of the best defense line among European club. The Blues successfully walked out from Madrid with a goalless draw against Atletico Madrid in the first leg of Champions League semifinal.
The draw is later seen as a satisfying result, as Chelsea set foot in Calderon without Ivanovic, Eto'o, Hazard, and Oscar, four regular names in the starting line up. Atletico, on the other hand, donned their best squad with Diego Costa and Koke, along with Chelsea's currently-on-loan goalkeeper Courtois.
Chelsea displayed a totally different football, compared to Los Rojiblancos. With only 31 percent ball possession, the Blues was obvious on their defense, setting up off-ball marking and counter attack. Chelsea's ultra defensive scheme came to fruition as it helped frustate the raging beast Diego Costa, while preventing any on Atletico's aggressive midfielder from scoring.
The draw in Calderon is a certain advantage for the West Londoners, especially that the second leg is to take place in Stamford Bridge next week. However, Chelsea took a devastating blow with the injury of Petr Cech and John Terry, both were down on the match last night. With lesser capable player to field next week and a deadly weekend fixture against Liverpool, Mou might have to rethink his strategy as Diego Simeone needs only a 1-1 draw to proceed to the prestigious finale.
WHO SCORED | JOKO
