UEFA Champions League

Chelsea vs Napoli, 2011-12 UEFA Champions League, Round of 16

· 2nd Leg - Napoli advance 5-4 on aggregate
  • 28': Didier Drogba
  • 47': John Terry
  • 75': Frank Lampard (P)
  • 105': Branislav Ivanovic
FT - ET
4 - 1
2nd Leg - Napoli advance 5-4 on aggregate
  • 55': Gökhan Inler

About

Chelsea are hosting Napoli at Stamford Bridge, London, England, starting on . The match is a part of the UEFA Champions League.

Match Timeline

  • 0': Join us for commentary from Chelsea's game with Napoli, as the Blues seek to overturn a 3-1 deficit.
  • 0':
    John Terry thinks it could be this squad's last chance at glory.
  • 0': Gianfranco Zola tells Mark Lomas that age is no barrier to success.
  • 0': The Chelsea old guard return for the Blues' first Champions League match since AVB was given the boot. With Terry, Cole, Lampard, Drogba and Essien all set to start against Napoli.
  • 0': But the bad news for Chelsea is that Napoli start with their own batch of stalwarts, with tricky trio Cavani, Hamsik and Lavezzi all eager to get on the scoresheet.
  • 0': Well one thing is clear. With Chelsea needing two goals they have turned to Drogba and young sidekick Sturridge, rather than Torres.
  • 0': If you have any pre-match comments to share you can send them via twitter @espnsoccernetfc
  • 0': Chelsea manager Roberto di Matteo has recalled David Luiz after the 1-0 win over Stoke, while Juan Mata - who scored the Blues' solitary goal in their 3-1 defeat in Italy - also came back in.
  • 0': Napoli rested players of their own after Friday's 6-3 thrashing of Cagliari, with the aforementioned Cavani and Christian Maggio brought into the side.
  • 0': The streets around Stamford Bridge have been invaded by hundreds of ticketless Napoli fans, so there should be a few pubs hastily stocking up on Peroni.
  • 0': "Fight and desire come before playing pretty football" Chelsea manager... erm... captain John Terry has said ahead of this game.
  • 0': So it looks like Napoli will go with a 3-4-3 tonight. Attack is definitely their strength and they know that if they score once, Chelsea need to score three just to get to extra-time.
  • 1': Napoli get the game underway, kicking from left to right, wearing a grey kit. Chelsea are in their famous blue strip.
  • 2': Looks like Drogba is in "fall over at every touch" mode, especially as the referee gives the free kick.
  • 3': Lavezzi chases down Luiz, who does well not to panic and clears the ball.
  • 4': Ivanovic pings a cross into the box from deep, but it's too heavy for either Drogba or Ramires.
  • 5': Drogba chests the ball down to Sturridge, who shoots low and forces De Sanctis to save well.
  • 6': Good early signs from Chelsea. Plenty of the ball and plenty of fight.
  • 7': Lavezzi has dropped very deep to get the ball for Napoli, whose passing has been way off target so far.
  • 8': Ivanovic lumps another cross from deep into the box. Chelsea must fancy Drogba's chances against Canavaro... but not this time.
  • 9': Hamsik darts into the box and pokes a shot at goal. Cech saves with his feet.
  • 10': First real signs of life from Napoli and a reminder for Chelsea to keep it tight at the back.
  • 11': Lavezzi wins a corner. He takes it himself. Cavani slips as he shoots and his effort goes way over the bar.
  • 12': Napoli carve through Chelsea on the break. Maggio slides a pass across goal for Cavani, who shoots into the sidenetting from a tight angle.
  • 13': Sturridge wins a corner and Terry is up from the back. Napoli clear.
  • 14': Lavezzi beats the offside trap and races at goal. He shoots from the left and Cech saves at his near post.
  • 15': Hamsik picks up the ball 20-yards out. He shoots and Cech makes yet another save. Oh dear Chelsea. Oh dear.
  • 16': Sturridge is correctly flagged offside as he puts the ball in the net. No goal.
  • 17': Zuniga is allowed to waltz through the Chelsea midfield, he cuts inside and shoots over the bar from the edge of the box.
  • 18': Ivanovic is always available for Chelsea and needs to get forward more... and not lump the ball into the box.
  • 19': Ivanovic is fouled by Gargano.
  • 20': Mata is forced out to the left. The Spaniard attempts a cross but it goes way over the goal and out of play. Chelsea need a bit more guile.
  • 21': It's all got a bit scrappy at Stamford Bridge. At least Napoli haven't had a shot for a while.
  • 23': Napoli patiently build an attack until Campargnaro scuffs his cross.
  • 24': Mata chips the ball to Drogba in the box, but Maggio has the strength to win the header and a freekick.
  • 25': Each spell of Chelsea possession is met by a wave of whistles from the Napoli fans.
  • 26': Guess what Ivanovic has just done? Yep. A cross from deep that De Sanctis claims for Napoli.
  • 28': GOAL Drogba scores. Ramires crosses from the right and The Drog stoops to head in at the near post.
  • 29': Well it's game on now. All those crosses finally paying off for the Blues. They still need another goal though.
  • 30': Luiz has raced forward and lost the ball. No need to be gung ho!
  • 31': Sturridge flashes a low cross through the box and Campagnaro diverts the ball wide as Drogba waits to score.
  • 32': Napoli counter-attack from the corner. Cavani is bearing down on goal but he shoots poorly from distance and Cech collects the ball.
  • 33': Mata pops up on the right an dinks the ball into the box. Sturridge gets his head to the ball but his glancing touch is too weak to trouble De Sanctis.
  • 34': Stat Didier Drogba has scored 11 career goals in the UCL knockout stages. Only one non-European player has more. Lionel Messi with 24.
  • 35': Sturridge does a Theo Walcott and runs off the edge of the pitch with the penalty area beckoning.
  • 36': Napoli have to make a change. Maggio goes off injured and ex-Liverpool 'star' Andrea Dossena comes on.
  • 37': Lampard breaks. Essien shoots from 20-yards out but his effort is tame and wide.
  • 38': Lavezzi's shot is deflected behind for a corner by Essien.....
  • 39': ...Lavezzi takes it. Easy for Lampard to clear at the near post.
  • 40': Drogba does his dying-swan act again and wins a freekick. Chelsea take it short, rather than crossing into the box.
  • 41': Lampard gets booked for persistent fouling. This time it was on Gargano.
  • 42': Chelsea are happy to keep possession.
  • 43': Mata and Cannavaro collide as the game becomes scrappy one again.
  • 44': Inler clips the heals of Cole as Chelsea threaten to counter-attack. The fans want a yellow card but the ref only awards a foul.
  • 45': Lampard whips in a corner but De Sanctis leaps to punch the ball off Drogba's head.
  • 45': Luiz picks up the loose ball and smashes in a shot from the right. Cannavaro blocks his effort and the ball rebounds straight into De Sanctis' grasp.
  • 0': HT That's the last action of the half as the ref blows for the break. Chelsea finished it strongly and will want to start the second-half in just the same way.
  • 0': HT It looked at one point like Napoli would run riot, but Chelsea got to grips with the game and are halfway to going through - in terms of the scoreline.
  • 0':
  • 0': HT Pointless but true stat: Didier Drogba is one of six players to have scored with both feet and their head this season in the Champions League.
  • 46': Chelsea get the second-half underway, kicking from left to right. One more goal needed for the Blues, provided Napoli don't score.
  • 46': Campagnaro needlessly concedes a corner....
  • 47': .... GOAL Terry scores! Lampard whips in a corner and Terry heads in with nobody on the post to clear for Napoli.
  • 49': Well, well. It's Napoli who are up against it now and are going out as it stands.
  • 50': Napoli respond well. Cavani forces Cole to concede a corner as they push forward.
  • 51': Inler sets up Lavezzi to shoot from the edge of the box but Terry blocks his effort on goal.
  • 52': Lavezzi takes a freekick for Napoli but it's his umpteenth terrible delivery of the game. Why is he even on set piece duty?
  • 53': Cannavaro is booked for a foul on Lampard as Napoli emotions run high.
  • 54': GOAL Inler scores! Dossena crosses, Terry heads clear but Inler controls the ball on his chest and lashes it into the back of the net from the edge of the box.
  • 55': So the pendulum swings. Napoli are now going through. Chelsea need to score one more to send the game into extra-time.
  • 56': Torres warms up on the touchline... it's not that desperate yet.
  • 57': Lampard clips the ball into the box. Sturridge and Drogba fall over in the box looking for a penalty, but they fell over each other.
  • 58': Ramires crosses as he looks to repeat the move that led to Drogba's first goal, but Di Sanctus is off his line to clear the danger.
  • 59': 25 games without a goal for club or country but it looks like Torres is coming on for Chelsea.
  • 60': Terry blocks a hopeful shot from Inler.
  • 62': Sturridge goes off and is replaced by Torres. Moment of madness or stroke of genius?
  • 63': Torres has a chance to shoot which he snubs, but he sets up Ivanovic, who stings the palms of De Sanctis with a shot.
  • 64': Torres is off and running again but Aronica makes the covering tackle.
  • 65': Drogba shoots on the turn as the ball drops in the box and De Sanctis makes a great save. Corner to Chelsea.
  • 66': Cannavaro is down injured. Chelsea think he is time wasting.
  • 67': With Cannavaro, the Napoli centre-back, off the pitch Lampard puts the corner straight into the hands of De Sanctis. Unforgivable.
  • 68': Essien takes one in the family jewels and Dossena gets booked.
  • 69': Terry makes a great tackle with Luiz out of position and Cavani racing towards goal.
  • 70': Zuniga bombs down the line and cuts inside. Cole falls over but Zuniga's shot is off target and hits another Napoli player.
  • 71': Torres gets his head to a cross and Aronica puts the ball behind for a corner.
  • 72': Zuniga makes a hash of his clearance from the corner. The ball slices off his foot into a crowd of players in the box but Napoli finally hoof it clear.
  • 73': Lampard delivers a corner. Ivanovic heads at goal and Dossena handles the ball. Penalty!
  • 74': GOAL Lampard scores from the spot. De Sanctis went the right way but the power beat the goalkeeper.
  • 75': It's going into extra-time as it stands. My poor fingers are hoping for another goal to spare them another 30 minutes of typing.
  • 76': Luiz races across to clear but gets there late. Dossena goes down dramatically. No foul.
  • 77': Torres with some silky skills on the edge of the box. He beats his man but then takes a heavy touch and loses possession.
  • 78': It's all about keeping your nerve now as Napoli win a freekick.
  • 79': Ivanovic is not happy with Lavezzi, but he is back on his feet and ready to continue.
  • 80': Hamsik attempts to shoot from the edge of the box. Cole makes a block at the same time. his studs were high but the ref didn't see it.
  • 81': Torres beats his man. Mata takes over and he could have gone down in the box but stayed on his feet.
  • 82': Drogba falls over AGAIN. Freekick for Chelsea 25-yards out....
  • 83': ...Drogba takes it. His effort dips but not enough.
  • 84': It looks like both managers are saving their final subs for extra-time.
  • 85': Hamsik crosses from the right for Lavezzi, who leaps unmarked but is about three inches too short to head the ball in.
  • 86': Luiz is told to go back in defence as he looks to push forward.
  • 87':
    Dossena handles the ball for the penalty
  • 88': Drogba is challenged by Aronica as he goes to head at goal. Both players fall to the ground and Drogba wants a penalty....
  • 89': .....Aronica had Drogba around the neck with both hands but somehow the ref deems that to be okay. No penalty.
  • 90': Luiz steps out of defence to make a tough tackle on Inler but it was very well timed.
  • 0': FT That's it! 90 minutes are up and extra-time will follow. Squeaky bum time as Fergie might say.
  • 0': FT If we are still level after 30 minutes of extra-time it will be penalties. And John Terry doesn't have good memories of UCL shootouts.
  • 0': FT - Stat: After 86 minutes of tonight's game, Fernando Torres reached 24 hours without a goal for Chelsea.
  • 91': Napoli get extra-time underway, kicking from left to right. No changes for either side.
  • 92': The first chance falls to Ivanovic, who heads wide from a corner.
  • 93': Hamsik volleys from the edge of the box. His effort is dipping and Cech is relieved to see the ball flash wide.
  • 94': Lavezzi plays a great throughball for Cavani, who races at goal... but the flag goes up for offside.
  • 95': Chelsea make a change. Malouda comes on to replace Mata.
  • 96': Luiz heads behind for a corner. Lavezzi will take it for Napoli. It was a rubbish one, yet again.
  • 96': There is a noticeably tense atmosphere amongst the fans at Stamford Bridge.
  • 97': Ashley Cole is booked for taking down Campagnaro.
  • 98': Bosingwa comes on for John Terry, who has just come back from injury.
  • 99': Ivanovic will drop in as centre-back and Bosingwa will take over the attacking rightback role.
  • 100': De Sanctis misjudges the bounce of the ball on the edge of the box. Torres is in on goal but hits his shot into the sidenetting under pressure from Aronica.
  • 101': Ivanovic swings the ball into the box for Torres, who does well to win a header at the back post but his effort loops up over the bar.
  • 102': Dossena chases a lost cause and Napoli have a corner.
  • 103': Torres heads clear in his own box and then breaks. He attempts a pass with the outside of his boot but Aronica has recvored to cut it out.
  • 104': Drogba falls over. Cheap freekick to Chelsea near the corner flag....
  • 105': Lampard takes the freekick and Hamsik heads clear as far as Drogba, who crosses.....
  • 105': GOAL Ivanovic scores! The defender smashes the ball into the roof of the net from Drogba's cut back.
  • 0': ET HT Well that was timely. Just 15 minutes to hold on for Chelsea.
  • 0': ET HT Napoli still only need one goal. If they score, they will go through on away goals.
  • 106': Chelsea get the final period underway, kicking from left to right.
  • 107': Napoli make a change. Pandev comes on for Hamsik.
  • 108': Lavezzi is taken down by Luiz. Napoli are keen to get on with it but the ref won't allow a quick freekick.
  • 109': Ramires breaks for the Blues. He passes to Torres, who shoots from 25-yards and forces De Sanctis into a good save, low to his right.
  • 110': Drogba does a Busquets and pretends to have been hit in the face. What a disgrace!
  • 110': Last throw of the dice for Napoli, who take off defender Aronica and bring on a forward in Vargas.
  • 111': Torres is on his own in attack. But Inler takes him down anyway and gets booked.
  • 112': Malouda gets the ball on the wing. He is happy to hold it up and draw a foul to run the clock down.
  • 113': Pandev attempts to get on the end of a reverse pass but it's overhit.
  • 114': Campagnaro gets booked simply for because Drogba falls over clutching his face.
  • 115': Napoli are pushing forward but just can't find that killer ball. Pandev has messed up a couple of times.
  • 116': Luiz goes down with cramp as Cech takes an age over a goalkick.
  • 116': Meanwhile, manager John Terry gives some coaching advice from the touchline.
  • 117': Luiz makes an important defensive header as Lavezzi and Co stream forward.
  • 118': Luiz fouls Inler. Napoli have the chance to stick the ball in the box. They do, but Ivanovic heads clear.
  • 119': Malouda on the counter-attack. He crosses for Drogba, who volleys well wide from 18-yards out.
  • 120': Napoli just can't get the ball back as time ticks away.....
  • 0': ET FT That's it! Chelsea have done it! They are through to the Champions League quarter-finals.
  • 0': ET FT Few people gave Chelsea a chance, but they have scored four goals at home to see off a very strong Napoli side and you can't argue with that.
  • 0': ET FT So that's three out of three for caretaker manager Roberto Di Matteo, who has now won in the FA Cup, Premier League and Champions League.
  • 0': Stat: There has been at least one English club in the Champions League quarter-finals for each of the past 16 seasons.
  • 0': So the Champions League quarter-finalsts are: Barcelona, Real Madrid, Benfica, Marseille, APOEL, Chelsea, AC Milan, Bayern Munich

Statistics

https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/soccer/500/114.png&h=25&scale=crop&w=25&location=originNAP CHEhttps://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/soccer/500/363.png&h=25&scale=crop&w=25&location=origin
23 Fouls 23
4 Yellow Cards 2
0 Red Cards 0
4 Offsides 2
8 Corner Kicks 12
4 Saves 4
44.5 Possession 55.5
23 SHOTS 22
5 ON GOAL 8
0.2 On Target % 0.4
0 Penalty Goals 1
0 Penalty Kicks Taken 0
311 Accurate Passes 425
422 Passes 525
0.7 Pass Completion % 0.8
5 Accurate Crosses 12
23 Crosses 36
0.2 Cross % 0.3
58 Long Balls 70
32 Accurate Long Balls 52
0.6 Long Balls % 0.7
8 Blocked Shots 5
22 Effective Tackles 23
28 Tackles 28
0.8 Tackle % 0.8
0 Interceptions 0
29 Effective Clearances 19
40 Clearances 47

Game Information

Competition: UEFA Champions League

Venue: Stamford Bridge
Location: London, England
Attendance: 37,784

Line-Ups

CHE Chelsea (4-2-3-1)

No. Name
1 Petr Cech (GK)
26 John Terry
4 David Luiz
3 Ashley Cole Yellow Card
2 Branislav Ivanovic
8 Frank Lampard Yellow Card
5 Michael Essien
11 Didier Drogba
10 Juan Mata
7 Ramires
23 Daniel Sturridge

NAP Napoli (3-4-3)

No. Name
1 Morgan De Sanctis (GK)
28 Paolo Cannavaro Yellow Card
6 Salvatore Aronica
14 Hugo Campagnaro Yellow Card
88 Gökhan Inler
23 Walter Gargano
18 Juan Zúñiga
11 Christian Maggio
7 Edinson Cavani
22 Ezequiel Lavezzi
17 Marek Hamsik

UEFA Champions League News

The Henry-like switch that helped Dembélé win the Ballon d'Or
The Henry-like switch that helped Dembélé win the Ballon d'Or

Arsène Wenger changed the trajectory of Thierry Henry's career by making him a No. 9. The same can be said about Luis Enrique and Ousmane Dembélé.

Robson: Dembélé fully deserved to win the Ballon d'OR
Robson: Dembélé fully deserved to win the Ballon d'OR

Stewart Robson praises Ousmane Dembélés character as he wins the 2025 Ballon d'Or.

Hislop: Yamal will compete for the Ballon d'Or every year
Hislop: Yamal will compete for the Ballon d'Or every year

Shaka Hislop believes it's only a matter of time before Lamine Yamal claims his own Ballon d'Or trophy.

Marcotti: We could see Wirtz on the wing for Liverpool
Marcotti: We could see Wirtz on the wing for Liverpool

Gab Marcotti believes Florian Wirtz could change position under Arne Slot as he continues to settle in, in the Premier League.

Dembélé's Ballon d'Or win feels like the dawn of a new era
Dembélé's Ballon d'Or win feels like the dawn of a new era

Ousmane Dembélé and Lamine Yamal, this year's top two in the Ballon d'Or voting, have a lot in common when it comes to how their energetic, attacking play is a welcome antidote in the tactics-driven world of modern soccer.