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The TimesMarch 6, 2008
Michael Ballack puts paid to any sign of nerves in Chelsea talent showChelsea 3 Olympiacos 0 (Chelsea win 3-0 on agg)
Martin Samuel, Chief Football Correspondent
There may be the international round of fixtures so coveted by Richard Scudamore, the Premier League chief executive, after all. One difference: it will be going by the name of the Champions League quarter-finals.
Chelsea became the third English club to enter the last eight of the most prestigious European tournament last night and, with Liverpool expected to make it a quartet when they take a 2-0 lead to Inter Milan’s San Siro stadium next week, it is likely that half of the teams in the draw in Nyon, Switzerland, a week tomorrow will be from one league: a first.
It is too early to get excited; three is quite common. Since 1998, a trio of teams from one country has reached the quarter-finals on nine occasions and from England twice (Manchester United, Arsenal and Leeds United in 2001, Liverpool, Manchester United and Chelsea last season), but four is the magic number. If Liverpool stay strong in Milan on Tuesday, English football will have made history.
Liverpool may have it tough, but Chelsea went through without breaking sweat. Credit to them, this was an assured, commanding performance, but it helped that Olympiacos were shocking, arguably the weakest team seen at this stage of the competition since it converted to a 32-club extravaganza in 1999-2000. One can only ponder the ability of Werder Bremen and Lazio if the Greek champions were able to finish level on points with Real Madrid in group C.
Perhaps European football is fragmenting, as the leading domestic leagues have done, into a two-tier system based on wealth. Olympiacos keep winning the Greek league because regular Champions League football gives them the business advantage, but they cannot compete with the real elite of Europe, whose regular ventures into the knockout phase bring even greater riches.
Chelsea have reached the quarter-finals in four of their five seasons in the Champions League. They are in a different class, financially and technically, and last night it showed. Their bench would have had the beating of Olympiacos, let alone their first team.
Chelsea were very good, but they did not need to be for long. A goal up after six minutes, two clear after 25, they scored a third from the first attack of the second half and declared the event over. Olympiacos showed a spark only when Fernando Belluschi, a substitute, came on and Chelsea switched off; he hit the bar and caused a few problems from free kicks around the penalty area. Chelsea had three players booked during this period, even if Frank Lampard once more looked unfortunate to be punished, and that may come back to haunt them when the stakes grow higher.
That aside, it was a drive in the country. Olympiacos’s resistance lasted no longer than Chelsea’s first attack in each half and from the time the second goal went in, Avram Grant’s men were cruising to the quarter-finals with the windows down and something summery by Van Morrison on the stereo.
After the delights of Arsenal’s win against AC Milan at the San Siro on Tuesday, this was an anticlimax, but while Chelsea’s conservatism is so often blamed for a dull 90 minutes, for once it was not their fault. For a team with vast European experience, Olympiacos had nothing to offer. It was not that they lacked ambition, more that they lacked anything at all.
Carlo Cudicini, the Chelsea goalkeeper, who was standing in for Petr Cech after he injured an ankle in training the morning before the match and will be missing for up to three weeks, was untroubled until late in the second half, when he let a free kick by Belluschi go and was startled to see it hit the bar. At the other end, Antonios Nikopolidis, the Olympiacos goalkeeper, was less fortunate and the game was only six minutes old when his defence suffered a breach.
Lampard collected a throw-in on the left and whipped in a cross that Michael Ballack met with his head. Bruce Buck, the Chelsea chairman, had said before the match that he was mildly concerned that it could be a nervous night if goals did not come early. He need not have worried. Olympiacos could not deal with anything in the air and lacked the grit to match Chelsea’s physical presence. The first goal was an exercise in simplicity and there was no sign of tension in the ground. Olympiacos did not give anyone time to get nervous.
Within 20 minutes Chelsea had scored a second and the game was as good as over. Again, Olympiacos had the chance to mount a straightforward rearguard action but lacked the determination. First, Claude Makelele won a header from a clearance, then John Terry won another and Ballack’s shot was saved before Lampard got to the loose ball first for a tap-in.
You want to know how comfortable Chelsea were? Makelele had a crack at goal. Twice. Once after 19 minutes, again after 68. The crowd roared and laughed. It was like a testimonial game. Chelsea had further chances and would not have been flattered had the work of Didier Drogba and Joe Cole been rewarded.
When the second half brought no change of tempo, Chelsea took advantage again, scoring from a corner by Lampard, courtesy of another debacle at the back. Drogba got a touch, Ricardo Carvalho another and Salomon Kalou scrambled the ball over the line from two yards. “Are you Brentford in disguise?” the Chelsea fans sang to the red-and-white-striped visiting team and it would have been an easy mistake to make. It is Barnsley and Derby County next. Amazingly, they may give Chelsea more of a game.
Chelsea (4-3-3): C Cudicini – P Ferreira, R Carvalho, J Terry, A Cole – M Ballack, C Makelele, F Lampard (sub: M Essien, 75min) – J Cole (sub: S Wright-Phillips, 78), D Drogba, S Kalou (sub: F Malouda, 69). Substitutes not used: Hilário, Alex, J Belletti, N Anelka. Booked: Lampard, Ferreira, Terry.
Olympiacos (4-3-2-1): A Nikopolidis – M Zewlakow, P Antzas, Júlio César, A Pantos – C Patsatzoglou, K Ledesma (sub: F Belluschi, 52), I Stoltidis – V Torossidis (sub: M Sisic, 75), P Djordjevic (sub: Leonardo, 57) – D Kovacevic. Substitutes not used: M Sifakis, L Núñez, K Mendrinos, M Konstantinou. Booked: Pantos. Referee: M González (Spain). ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Telegraph:Lampard inspired as Chelsea serve up treatBy Henry Winter at Stamford Bridge
Chelsea (2) 3 Olympiakos (0) 0Agg: 3-0
Chelsea meted out the same treatment to Olympiakos that the Greeks inflict on their dinner plates. Olympiakos' defence, as brittle as ancient crockery, was smashed into countless pieces by Chelsea's superb attacking. The only surprise was that the Londoners managed only three goals.
Michael Ballack, Frank Lampard and Salomon Kalou all scored while Lampard delivered one of those fine, box-to-box performances that marks him out as one of the best midfielders at work in Europe. If Liverpool survive their visit to Inter Milan next week, as they should, then half the quarter-finalists will hail from the Premier League. No Petr Cech, no Michael Essien, no John Obi Mikel, no Nicolas Anelka, no problem. Chelsea's resources are so deep that they take any tinkering, any injuries in their quick-moving stride. Lampard, contentiously omitted for the first leg in Athens, was terrific, creating Ballack's early goal, scoring himself and constantly being at the heart of all that was good about Chelsea.
Fabio Capello, the England manager who was watching from the smart seats, will have enjoyed the sight of so many Englishmen shining, from a revitalised Lampard to an untroubled John Terry, from the sprightly Ashley Cole to the lively Joe Cole. Lampard was the pick of the bunch, particularly in a first half that he ran.
Lampard's vision and passing were swiftly in evidence. Seizing on Ashley Cole's quick throw-in after five minutes, Lampard had already noted his team-mates' forward runs. Two touches nudged the ball in from the left-hand touchline. Lampard's third picked out Ballack magnificently, the ball bent towards the near post for the German to beat the static Antonios Nikopolidis with a firm, well-placed header.
It resembled one of those training-ground rehearsals where defenders are told to hold their positions while the attackers hone their art. Olympiakos could have brought over four statues from the Parthenon and reacted to Chelsea's movement more adroitly.
With Lampard in such dynamic mood, Chelsea kept pouring forward through the middle and out wide. Kalou and, particularly, Ashley Cole created havoc down the left. Joe Cole and Ballack combined well down the right. Chelsea's movement was fast and fluid. Olympiakos were constantly stretched. This was a mismatch.
The next thrust of the Chelsea knife brought more pain. Another panicky Olympiakos clearance after 25 minutes was met by Claude Makelele, whose clever header found Terry tucked in on the right. Chelsea's captain immediately sent Ballack through and Olympiakos were cut open. Again.
The German unleashed a strong shot which Nikopolidis got a hand to, but merely diverted into the path of Lampard. On a night of Greeks bearing gifts, the England international gratefully accepted the easiest of tap-ins that almost arrived in pretty wrapping, a nice bow and a note saying "help yourself".
If only Olympiakos players had the same verve as their animated supporters, who brought colour and noise to the Bridge. Chelsea fans stoked up the atmosphere more by chanting "Panathinaikos". At least Olympiakos were giving Chelsea a challenge in the singing department.
"You're not singing any more", Chelsea fans chanted three minutes after the break when Lampard created a third. Over swirled the corner, catching out Olympiakos, Didier Drogba getting a slight touch and sending the ball on to Kalou. Controlling the ball with his thigh, Kalou flicked it home expertly.
Lampard should have made it 4-0 but dragged his shot wide. Olympiakos coach Panagiotis Lemonis tried to breathe some life into his team, and introduced Fernando Belluschi. John Bellushi might have had more impact on the Blues Brothers, who remained in control.
Amazingly, Olympiakos finally gave Carlo Cudicini something to think about. For an hour, the goalkeeper understudying for the injured Cech had just watched events form afar. For an hour, Cudicini could have wandered down the King's Road, perhaps done some late-night shopping and even grabbed a pizza, before returning to the Bridge without anyone noticing his absence.
Even when Belluschi delivered a decent free-kick over Chelsea's wall, Cudicini hardly had to move far to collect the ball. Moments later he clutched Leonardo's corner and launched a counter-attack that brought chances for Joe Cole and Makelele, both saved by Nikopolidis.
Lampard, whose ludicrous weekend sending-off at West Ham was rightly rescinded, then suffered another on-field injustice when he was cautioned for diving, another decision devoid of logic. Caught accidentally by Christos Patsatzoglou in the area, Lampard was bowled over. The combination of gravity plus speed of collision meant Lampard had little choice but to fall down.
Avram Grant decided to spare Lampard any more poor decisions and called him to the bench to be replaced by Essien. As Lampard walked off, Chelsea fans stood as one to salute their inspired No 8. Chelsea's coach then withdrew Joe Cole for Shaun Wright-Phillips and, with Florent Malouda already on for Kalou, this meant Drogba had to complete this dead tie.
Draining the squad's leading striker seemed strange, unless Grant intends resting Drogba for Saturday's FA Cup quarter-final exertions at Oakwell. One thing is sure: Barnsley will give Chelsea more of a game than Olympiakos.
Belluschi shivered the crossbar late on, and then Cudicini saved magnificently from Paraskevas Antzas but Chelsea were already home and hosed in the Champions League quarter-finals.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Indy:
Chelsea 3 Olympiakos 0 (Chel win 3-0 on agg): Ballack fires confident Chelsea as Greeks offer little resistance
By Sam Wallace, Football CorrespondentThursday, 6 March 2008
Beware of Greeks bearing gifts, unless it happens to be the pitiful Olympiakos, who gave Chelsea a bona fide free ride into the Champions League quarter-finals last night. Avram Grant's team are now 60 games undefeated at home in all competitions over two years and few came easier than this stroll at Stamford Bridge.
It is not Chelsea's fault that this victory was not the epoch-making triumph achieved by Arsenal at San Siro on Tuesday night, for that blame the Greeks. For a club who have won the title in their domestic league for 10 out of the last 11 seasons Olympiakos were so dreadful it was tempting to think that the Chelsea players faced stiffer opposition on that recent paintballing trip in the Surrey countryside to rebuild team morale.
Ahead in six minutes through Michael Ballack's goal, the only surprise was that Chelsea did not score more than the two further goals added by Frank Lampard and Salomon Kalou. Apart from their finishing, this was Chelsea at their ruthless, remorseless best – from Ballack's opener to the very last moments when the Spanish referee called time as they prepared to take their last corner of the match.
Chelsea's victory means that there are three English teams through to the Champions League quarter-finals, and just Liverpool left to make it into the draw for the quarter-finals on 14 March. This week will be remembered for Arsenal's humbling of Milan, not Chelsea's destruction of Olympiakos, but it was ever thus for poor old Grant. It will take a performance like this against one of the big boys of European football to convince everyone that he truly is the real deal.
An indicator of just how comfortable Chelsea had it last night was that Claude Makelele had two shots on goal – probably equalling his season's average in one match – and he even nearly scored from one. Carlo Cudicini, in for the injured Petr Cech, made his first save some time around the hour and his main preoccupation for most of the match, until a late Olympiakos rally, was keeping himself warm.
If there was a frustrating element for Chelsea it was that they incurred some needless bookings – to John Terry, Lampard and Paulo Ferreira – which may come back to haunt them later in the competition. But this was a night to admire the power and control of the great blue machine, and by the end even Olympiakos' boisterous support appeared to have reconciled themselves to the inevitable.
Another big game, another big-name midfielder left out of the team by Grant. In the first leg against Olympiakos it was Lampard; in the Carling Cup final it was Ballack; and last night it was the turn of Michael Essien to sit on the bench. It is a sign of just how difficult Grant is finding juggling the big names that it was Ballack who originally believed he was not in the team – only for Essien to find himself left out in the cold.
All that politics around the team selection was rendered irrelevant when, with six minutes gone, Chelsea took the lead through Ballack. For all their impact in the opening stages, the Olympiakos team might as well have booked themselves in for the stadium tour rather than lined up on the pitch. They seemed to approach the occasion like the first day at a daunting new school and no team fit the role of bullies better than Chelsea.
There was an uninspiring 4-5-1 formation from the visitors from Piraeus with, on his own in attack, Darko Kovacevic – a big lump of a centre-forward, the like of which Terry will happily keep in his pocket all night. In the fifth minute, Ashley Cole took a quick throw to Lampard on the left wing, the midfielder hit a curling cross to the near post and Ballack was on hand to head the ball past goalkeeper Antonios Nikopolidis.
It was tempting to say that was the game over there and, although Olympiakos picked themselves up briefly after Chelsea's second goal, any faint self-belief they may have had appeared to expire in those early stages. Joe Cole had already made an excellent chance for Didier Drogba, which he volleyed over, when Chelsea scored their second goal on 25 minutes.
Claude Makelele's header found Joe Cole on the right who in turn headed it first time into the path of Ballack. His shot was stopped at the near post by Nikopolidis who, nonetheless, could not hold it. Cue Lampard to roll in his 103rd career goal for Chelsea from one yard out. From then, the unbeaten home record that stretches back to that 2-1 defeat to Barcelona in the Champions League in February 2006 never looked in doubt.
With Kalou on the left, Joe Cole on the right and Lampard and Ballack bossing the centre of midfield this was an intimidating demonstration of Chelsea's power – to which the Greek side singularly failed to respond. The overall possession count was 57 per cent in Chelsea's favour which, in Champions League terms, is the football equivalent of a military occupation. Having listened to what was presumably a less than inspiring team talk from their harassed-looking manager Panagiotis Lemonis, Olympiakos came out for the second half and promptly conceded a third goal.
A kind description of Kalou's goal would have been that it came from a goalmouth scramble – but, when it comes to the Olympiakos defence, the description goalmouth shambles works just as well. Lampard's corner from the left wing was headed on limply by Drogba and Kalou was allowed two touches one yard out from goal to put the ball into the net.
Joe Cole and Makelele both had good chances to score in the later stages until Olympiakos put together some token resistance towards the end of the game. The substitute Fernando Belluschi struck the bar with a shot and Cudicini was obliged to make another good stop moments later.
Lampard was booked for diving which, in the circumstances, looked harsh. Florent Malouda and Shaun Wright-Phillips were brought on and many of those who played last night can probably expect to be rested for Saturday's trip to Barnsley in the FA Cup. It would be hard to bet against Chelsea coming through that game still alive in three competitions this season. Compared to the resistance that they encountered last night, the visit to Oakwell looks like a tricky encounter.
Chelsea (4-1-4-1): Cudicini; Ferreira, Carvalho, Terry, A Cole; Makelele; J Cole (Wright-Phillips, 79), Ballack, Lampard (Essien, 76), Kalou (Malouda, 70); Drogba. Substitutes not used: Hilario (gk), Alex, Belletti, Anelka.
Olympiakos (4-5-1): Nikopolidis; Zewlakow, Antzas, J Cesar, Pantos; Torosidis (Sisic, 75), Patsatzoglou, Ledesma (Belluschi, 53), Stoltidis, Djordjevic (Leonardo, 57); Kovacevic. Substitutes not used: Sifakis (gk), Nunez, Mendrinos, Konstantinou.
Referee: M Gonzalez (Spain).
Quarter-final qualifiers
Barcelona, Man Utd, Fenerbahce, Arsenal, Chelsea, Schalke, Roma, Liverpool/Internazionale
The draw for the last eight (1/2 and 8/9 April) and semi-finals is on Friday 14 March. Teams from the same country can be drawn together.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Kalou caps cakewalk for rampant Chelsea
Stuart James at Stamford BridgeThursday March 6, 2008The Guardian
Avram Grant can only dream that Chelsea's progress in the Champions League will remain so serene. While Manchester United and Arsenal faced testing examinations before taking their place in the last eight 24 hours earlier, Chelsea secured their quarter-final berth with consummate ease last night. Olympiakos had the air of a team enjoying a day out, although there will be few memories to cherish when they arrive back in Athens this morning.
It is now 60 matches unbeaten in all competitions for Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, a record the Greek champions were never in danger of ruining. Olympiakos's frailties were brutally exposed as Michael Ballack, Frank Lampard and Salomon Kalou delivered victory.The scoreline was in keeping with Olympiakos's record in England, having conceded at least two goals on each of their previous seven visits. Containing Chelsea and seeking to strike on the counter-attack had been their original gameplan but damage limitation quickly became the primary objective after Chelsea struck twice inside the opening 25 minutes. A procession duly unfolded, with the only doubt surrounding Chelsea's winning margin.
Grant praised "the character and attitude" of his side but, as well as Chelsea played at times, this was no reliable barometer of their ability to win the European Cup in Moscow. Arsenal, Manchester United and, providing they negotiate next week's second leg in Milan, Liverpool are possible opponents in the next round and, while Grant expressed no preferences, the Chelsea manager will expect a far more demanding challenge.
So comfortable were Chelsea that Didier Drogba, restored in place of Nicolas Anelka, and Kalou, deployed on the left in an attacking trident which also featured Joe Cole, were showboating before half-time. John Terry had also taken the opportunity to maraud forward on occasions, a measure of the confidence coursing through the Chelsea side.
Only in the final 10 minutes, when the substitute Fernando Belluschi at last offered an attacking threat, did Olympiakos trouble Carlo Cudicini. Twice the Chelsea goalkeeper then made smart saves, thwarting Belluschi and Paraskevas Antzas, although for the remainder of the evening the Italian could have been forgiven for wondering if his presence was necessary in the absence of Petr Cech.
Cech had been unexpected omission, having twisted an ankle in training 24 hours earlier, an injury which might have unsettled Chelsea's preparations for a European tie on other occasions. That possibility was discounted inside five minutes, however, as Chelsea took an early lead through Ballack's first Champions League goal of the season.
Lampard was the architect, the England midfielder whipping a right-footed cross towards the corner of the six-yard box which Ballack, timing his run impeccably, headed emphatically inside the near post. Ashley Cole's quick throw-in had exposed a lack of concentration within the Olympiakos defence in the lead-up to the breakthrough, and the defending of the Greek side was little better when Lampard and Ballack combined again 20 minutes later.
Amid consternation in the Olympiakos penalty area, Predrag Djordjevic's clearance carried height rather than distance, encouraging Claude Makelele to maintain Chelsea's pressure. The Frenchman's header found Terry in space on the corner of the penalty area, inviting the captain to glance into the path of Ballack. An angled drive was parried by Antonios Nikopolodis, leaving Lampard, with the goal at his mercy from two yards, to tap home.
Olympiakos were crestfallen, the interval providing only temporary respite. The second half was not three minutes old when Lampard drifted an inswinging corner towards the near post. Following a slight touch from Drogba, Kalou was afforded the time and space to take a touch inside the six-yard box before bundling the ball beyond the stranded Nikopolidis.
A rout beckoned and the fourth goal should have arrived five minutes later when Kalou's pass released Lampard, only for the midfielder to screw his shot wide. Lampard was later booked for an alleged dive, prompting Grant to withdraw the midfielder wary of a second dismissal in two games. It was the only moment of concern for the Chelsea manager on a night which revealed little about his players' prospects in the competition.----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Mail:
Treble top: Chelsea join United and Arsenal in last eight of Champions LeagueChelsea 3 Olympiacos 0 (Agg: 3-0)
By MATT BARLOW
The plan hatched two years ago was to lure Michael Ballack to Chelsea, install him alongside Frank Lampard in central midfield and sit back as the pair obliterated opponents with their goal power.
It has taken a while but finally evidence is starting to seep out of Stamford Bridge that it may not have been such a foolhardy idea and gross waste of money.
West Ham had no answer on Saturday and last night Olympiacos were destroyed in similar fashion by the dynamic duo who earn £250,000 between them each week.
Ballack drifted forward to open the scoring after only six minutes with a simple header from Lampard's left-wing cross.
Nineteen minutes later, Lampard was on the spot to grab the second after Ballack's fierce shot had been parried.
Yes, they are blessed with similar talents, perhaps powered by the same single-minded dedication. They even drive the same kind of car, a Ferrari 599, white and black in the case of Ballack, blue for Lampard.
But if Avram Grant can devise a system which maximises their goal power he will be one up on Jose Mourinho.
If he goes all the way to Moscow in the Champions League he will be two up. No one will care about who had the most Carling Cups.
Salomon Kalou added the third as Chelsea joined Arsenal and Manchester United in next week's draw for the quarter-finals and Liverpool take a two-goal lead to Inter Milan with a great chance to make it a quartet from the Barclays Premier League in the last eight.
If Grant is to reach the final in May, he will have to outfox far better teams than Olympiacos but, after winning only once in a tentative February, his team looked firmly back in their ruthless rhythm last night.
They have extended their unbeaten home record to 60 games and the manager will go to Barnsley in the FA Cup on Saturday without fear of the chop.
John Terry had called for patience before the game, aware of the major headache an early Olympiacos goal would cause, but the Chelsea captain, who watched the first leg from the bench in Greece, declared his intent with two strong headers in the opening seconds. It set the tone.
From a free-kick awarded as Terry won the second of those headers, Didier Drogba muscled into the penalty area and took aim.
His effort was helped on by Joe Cole, beating the goalkeeper but thumping into the foot of a post. The offside flag went up, harshly as Cole looked level, but Chelsea had set their tempo high.
When a ball rolled into touch on the left, Ashley Cole gathered it in a flash. He threw it to Lampard, who swung a cross to the near post where Ballack slipped his marker, Ieroklis Stoltidis, and rose to head in the 14th Champions League goal of his career.
The Blues were three up inside 22 minutes at West Ham on Saturday and killed off the Greeks with the second when Lampard tucked in the rebound after Antonios Nikopolidis had parried Ballack's drive into his path.
It must rank among the easiest of his 103 Chelsea goals. Midfield remains Grant's greatest puzzle.
He seems content to share the anchor role between Claude Makelele and John Mikel Obi, leaving Ballack, Lampard and Michael Essien to contest the other two places in the 4-3-3 system.
Lampard missed out in Greece, Ballack at Wembley. Essien, the only player to start Chelsea's first seven European games this season but only one booking from a ban, was sacrificed last night.
He watched the Lampard and Ballack show from the bench before a 14- minute cameo.
In effect, the personnel mattered little. It was the intensity, absent in Athens and at Wembley, which put the home team in command.
Olympiacos, unbeaten in 21 games upon arrival in London, were swept aside like the Hammers. Out of their depth for long periods.
Quick in the tackle and certain in the pass, this was Chelsea at their dominant best. Their movement in attack was fluid and Joe Cole and Kalou worked tirelessly to cover the hard yards on the flanks, supported by their full backs.
At one point, Grant strode to the touchline to issue a palms down gesture which said: 'OK, let's not go mad.'
Kalou forced in the third when a Lampard corner found a bizarre route through a crowded goal area to the back post and there could have been more.
Lampard screwed a chance wide and Drogba saw a goal ruled out for offside. Nikopolidis saved again from Joe Cole and even Makelele ventured forward to try his luck.
The only slight blemishes on a victorious night were a trio of needless yellow cards for Lampard, Terry and Paulo Ferreira.
Carlo Cudicini, making his second European appearance of the season, after Petr Cech injured his ankle on the eve of the game, was barely troubled until the closing minutes when Olympiacos launched a surprise late attack.
Fernando Belluschi rattled the bar from 25 yards and then Stoltidis stepped forward to test the Italian goalkeeper with a free-kick, given for a foul by Terry, who hobbled out of Stamford Bridge with a sore foot but insisted it was nothing serious.
Cudicini failed to hold the vicious low drive from Stoltidis but reacted superbly, springing to his feet to turn a follow-up around the post from Paraskevas Antzas, who held his head as though it was just one of those nights.
Olympiacos have now lost on all eight of their visits to England and have conceded 27 goals.
Cudicini's shut-out means it is now 10hr 21min since Chelsea conceded a goal in European football.
That was scored by Valencia's David Villa in November. Goals from Lampard and Ballack, clean sheets galore.
Roman Abramovich, who jetted back after Russia's presidential elections to see the game, can continue to fantasise about Moscow on May 21.
CHELSEA (4-3-3): Cudicini 6; Ferreira 7, Carvalho 7, Terry 7, A Cole 7; Ballack 8, Makelele 7, Lampard 8 (Essien 76min); J Cole 7 (Wright Phillips 79), Drogba 7, Kalou 7 (Malouda 71, 6). Booked: Lampard, Ferreira, Terry.
OLYMPIACOS (4-5-1): Nikopolidis 6; Zewlakow 5, Antzas 6, Julio Cesar 6, Pantos 6; Torosidis 5 (Sisic 75, 6), Patsatzoglou 6, Ledesma 6 (Belluschi 54, 6), Stoltidis 6, Djordjevic 5 (Leonardo 57, 6); Kovacevic 5. Booked: Stoltidis.
Man of the match: Frank Lampard.
Referee: Manuel Gonzalez (Spain). --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Mirror:
Lamps and Ballack lead the Blues on Greek cruise
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE LAST 16, 2ND LEG: CHELSEA 3 OLYMPIACOS 0 Chelsea win 3-0 on aggregateCHELSEA DUO 'SHOWBOAT' IN EASY WIN Martin Lipton Chief Football Writer 6/03/2008
Hands Up all those who still insist Frank Lampard and Michael Ballack can't play together?
Thought so. And while Avram Grant has only regained some of the authority he lost at Wembley the other week, the response hasn't been too bad at all.
Last night, as Ballack and Lampard combined to set each other up and Chelsea cruised into the last eight of the Champions League with a contemptuous dismissal of the giftbearing Greeks, the real Blues were back on display.
Ballack's close-range header was the first act of an evening of non-stop running by the German, while Lampard's tap-in killed off the tie before the break.
Salomon Kalou cashed in with another simple finish as Chelsea romped home at a canter, reaching the quarterfinals for the fourth time in the five seasons since Roman Abramovich arrived with his bottomless pit of cash.
Abramovich is desperate to see his side in the final in Moscow in May but a week after manager Grant lost his cool at the criticism that came his way after the Carling Cup debacle, his team have come out firing on his behalf.
Maybe you should get angry every week, Avram.
Chelsea made five changes to the side that grafted to a laborious goalless draw in the first leg in Athens, with keeper Petr Cech a high-profile absentee. But Chelsea may well have managed without anyone between the posts, such was their dominance. There was certainly a big change in attitude between last night's line-up and the side that played in Greece. Two weeks ago, Chelsea had been negative and restricted, fearful of committing themselves and letting the home side control the tempo. Last night could not have been more different, as Grant's side tore into the Greeks from the start to take an iron grip on the contest.
The opening goal only took five minutes, by which time Chelsea could have been three up. Joe Cole was wrongly flagged offside as he hit the post after a Didier Drogba run, then a terrific low cross by Ashley Cole was just cleared.
From the throw, the left-back found Lampard, who floated in to the near post, and the Greeks were statues as Ballack read the centre and directed his simple but secure header between the static Antonios Nikopolidis and his upright. Joe Cole was a constant menace, pulling wide right and then popping up on the other side during a terrific move which ended with Drogba volleying just over the bar.
The Greeks were looking a well-beaten side already, and on 25 minutes, the Blues were two goals to the good.
Lampard's free-kick was only half-cleared and Claude Makelele and then John Terry played head-tennis.
Ballack, so alert, latched on to the loose ball, rifling a low shot which was parried by Nikopolidis straight to Lampard. The Chelsea No.8 simply walked his 13th goal of the season over the line. It was all too easy, with Terry able to rampage forward from the back. At half-time the only question being asked was how many Chelsea would get.
Olympiacos, quite honestly, were hopeless - outgunned and outclassed.
Chelsea, to their credit, kept looking for more. Only a desperate block by Cristian Ledesma denied Lampard after he linked with Drogba two minutes after the restart.
From the resulting corner, though, the third did come.
Nobody bothered to pick up Ricardo Carvalho as Lampard arced the flag-kick into the six-yard box and when the ball bounced down off the Portuguese defender's heels, Kalou poked home from a couple of feet.
Now it was getting embarrassing as the Greeks capitulated, Lampard angling a low strike just wide of the far post after another huge gap was opened up down the right.
Drogba thought he had a fourth as he stroked home from Lampard's pass, only for the flag to cut short his celebrations, while Joe Cole and Makelele were denied by Nikopolidis.
This one, though, was long since over.
Chelsea: Cudicini, Ferreira, Carvalho, Terry, A Cole, Ballack, Makelele, Lampard, Kalou, Drogba, J Cole.
Olympiacos: Nikopolidis, Zewlakow, Julio Cesar, Antzas, Pantos, Ledesma, Patsatzoglou, Torosidis, Djordjevic, Stoltidis, Kovacevic.
Chelsea v OLYMPIACOS
62% POSSESSION 38%
8 SHOTS ON TARGET 3
6 SHOTS OFF TARGET 3
4 OFFSIDES 6
4 CORNERS 4
20 FOULS 18
3 YELLOW CARDS 1
0 RED CARDS 0
ATTENDANCE: 37,721
Man Of The Match: Ballack ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Sun:
Chelsea 3 Olympiakos 0 By IAN McGARRY
A LOT has been said about Frank Lampard and Michael Ballack.That both men play a very similar position. True. They both drive a Ferrari 599. True. They cannot play in the same team. False.
A virtuoso performance in perfect harmony from two of the world’s best midfielders saw Chelsea romp home against Olympiakos at Stamford Bridge last night. This was no ordinary victory, though. In the realm of the Champions League, where only the best get on, Chelsea were masterful.
Ever since his free transfer from Bayern Munich two years ago and his much-publicised mega-salary, Germany captain Ballack has found it difficult to live up to the hero status of England star Lamps.
While Lampard has shown again and again his value to the Blues, Ballack has had to overcome injury and poor form.
But he has finally started to show the quality which saw Chelsea outbid Europe’s biggest teams to sign him. And he is doing it with the help of Lampard. Between them, the pair earn around £250,000 a week.
But last night they were priceless as Chelsea booked their place in the Champions League quarter-finals.
A goal apiece — each helping the other to score — followed a similar show of excellence in the 4-0 romp at West Ham last Saturday.
And all on a night which could have been far more tricky for Avram Grant’s Blues.
With keeper Petr Cech unable to start because of an ankle injury which may yet keep him out of Saturday’s FA Cup clash at Barnsley, the omens were all in Olympiakos’ favour.
Add to that the referee was Manuel Gonzalez, who oversaw Chelsea’s Champions League semi-final defeat to Liverpool last season, and it looked a bit dodgy.
Not for long though. The seeds of the partnership which looked so fruitful against West Ham were soon in full bloom.
Ballack scored Chelsea’s third at Upton Park but he was quicker off the mark against the Greeks.
Lampard flighted a perfect sixth-minute cross to the German, whose header beat Antonios Nikopolidis at the near post. It was a sweet moment for Ballack, who feared he may be dropped.
In the end it was Michael Essien who stayed on the bench in what proved a cute move by boss Grant. Joe Cole was another who proved himself in the Premier League clash and he was given licence to roam across the frontline last night.
Cole came close on a couple of occasions but it was dynamic duo Ballack and Lamps who put Chelsea out of sight.
With Olympiakos struggling to cope with an attack which flooded at them in numbers, the Blues’ new midfield partnership struck again after 25 minutes.
This time Ballack was sent free to face the keeper one-on-one.
But when his shot was deflected, guess who followed up and swept the ball into the open goal? Yes, super Frank was on hand to notch his 103rd goal for Chelsea. After Grant admitted the Champions League is the club’s priority this season, Lamps’ goal looked invaluable as this contest raced towards half-time.
Having produced an accomplished display in Athens, Olympiakos were expected to provide much tougher opposition in London than this.
But all they had to show for the first period was a cross from Vassilis Torosidis which had keeper Carlo Cudicini mildly flustered before Paulo Ferreira cleared. Apart from a late flurry, that was the sum of Olympiakos’ threat.
Not Chelsea’s though. Just after the break they won a corner on the right and it was three.
Lampard delivered a bending cross which Didier Drogba and Ricardo Carvalho touched on for Salomon Kalou to tuck home the third.
Terry was magnificent
It was more proof of Chelsea’s utter domination and made their bid to be crowned kings of Europe more credible.
A scoreline which was already the most convincing of any of the first knockout-phase games pressed home their claims.
At the back, John Terry was magnificent in winning every aerial challenge while marshalling the defence to make the visitors look more like tourists.
Grant could afford to withdraw Kalou, Lamps and Joe Cole in a second period which should have seen Drogba on the scoresheet as well.
His effort was wrongly ruled offside, though it barely mattered.
Chelsea march on in another competition and now face Barnsley with their hopes of making this a memorable season even greater than before.
The third of four English sides to reach the last eight in Europe, this is becoming as intense a race as the Premier League.
And with Lamps and Ballack in this kind of form, anything is possible for Chelsea.