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Throughout the years, Chelsea has become of the most dominant football clubs in English football, especially during the initial Jose Mourinho spell in charge. Granted, once he left, Chelsea has been able to accrue an impressive catalogue of silverware - whether it be domestic trophies or within European competitions.
A large part of their success can be attributed to the Chelsea faithful and the stadium of Stamford Bridge. With this in mind, in our latest post, we will be remembering the unforgettable matches at Stamford Bridge.
Throughout the years, Chelsea has had some unforgettable clashes against Barcelona - and none more so that featured the game-winning header by John Terry that sent the Chelsea side into the Quarter-Finals.
Following the end of the first leg, Chelsea left 2-1 down and a clinical Didier Drogba. This caused Jose Mourinho to lash out at the referee and coying the term ‘The Enemy of Football’. Rather than letting his hostility take over and lead to a poor performance, the opposite happened, allowing Chelsea to provide a clinical display - all within 19 crucial minutes.
Even without their talisman, Drogba, Chelsea was able to score three vital goals thanks to Eidur Gudjonsen, Frank Lampard and Damien Duff. Now with Chelsea in the ascendancy, Barcelona was able to find brilliance of their own with the footballing legend, Ronaldinho. Ronaldinho was able to convert a penalty as well as scoring one of the most memorable goals in a Champions League fixture - making the Chelsea side needing to score a fourth goal.
The game was all tied up until the 75th minute as the ball went out for a corner for Chelsea. Duff whipped in the cross, finding the head of the club captain, John Terry. Resulting in one of, if not the most memorable fixtures inside Stamford Bridge. Although, this isn’t the only time Chelsea and Barcelona will have an iconic encounter.
Before the heavy investment, Chelsea underwent a monumental upset against the Catalan giants during the first leg of the Quarter-Finals. Chelsea opened the scoreline come the 30th minute thanks to a clinical strike by Italian football legend, Gianfranco Zola. Merely 8 minutes later, the hungry Chelsea side managed to bag two more goals thanks to a brace by Tore Andre Flo.
Luis Figo was able to bring the deficit down to two as he converted a brilliantly struck shot at goal. What’s so impressive about this side is that the opposition of Barcelona included a young Xavi, Patrick Kliovert, Luis Figo and Rivaldo.
Despite this unbelievable performance, Barcelona was able to put on a clinic of their own at their stadium of Camp Nou. Resulting in an outstanding 5-1 on the night and an aggregate score of 6-4 in total.
Following the first leg at Anfield Stadium, the game was tied 1-1, meaning either side needed to pull off a clinical display for the second leg - something that both sides were able to accomplish. The always-reliable Didier Drogba opened the scoresheet in the 33rd minute to make it 2-1 come halftime. It wasn’t until the 64th minute that Fernando Torres brought it back to 2-2. This inevitably caused the fixture to go into extra time. Frank Lampard scored a penalty in the 98th minute followed by Drogba securing a brace just before the break.
Ryan Babel brought the deficit down in the 117th minute but it wasn’t enough as Chelsea was able to progress to the final against Manchester United after winning 4-3 on aggregate. For more about the 2008 Champions League final - take a look at our post covering it.
As you can see in this blog, Chelsea and Barcelona are destined to put on a show - especially under the lights of a Champions League fixture and the 2011-12 campaign was no different. Going into this semifinal fixture, Drogba was able to open the scoresheet at the brink of halftime. Ultimately being the only goal that would come from the first leg at Stamford Bridge. Alas, the excitement would only ramp up during the second leg whilst featuring Fernando Torres’ most memorable goal.
At Camp Nou, Barcelona was able to bring the result back in their favour with two fantastic goals before halftime by Sergio Busquets and Andres Iniesta. Despite the momentum going into Barcelona’s favour, Ramires was able to tie at the brink, scoring in the 1st minute of added time.
The second half was a back-and-forth affair, with the tie likely heading into extra time. Although, it wasn’t for Fernando Torres and his gracious ability to take the ball past Victor Valdes - leaving the goal wide open for a tap-in. This is known to be one of, if not the most famous goal for Torres as it resulted in the Chelsea side progressing to the final with a 3-2 win over the Catalonians.
Stamford Bridge remains a special place to visit for football games, especially under the lights of a Champions League game. You can witness their Champions League aspirations and successes either by yourself or with a loved one through Football Ticket Pad.
At Football Ticket Pad. we offer an extensive range of football tickets for you to choose from. Whether you are after Chelsea tickets for Premier League games, Champions League games or domestic competitions such as the FA Cup and Carabao Cup - we have you covered.