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Chelsea blow it big time as Bury old boy sparks Fenerbahce fightbackFenerbahce 2 ( Kazim-Richards 65, Deivid 81) Chelsea 1(Deivid 13 og)
By NEIL ASHTON
From the complete first-half display to a complete disaster, Avram Grant needed some convincing answers after Chelsea surrendered their unbeaten record in this season' s Champions League.
How, exactly, can Chelsea turn in the Perfect Performance in the opening 45 minutes and buckle the moment Fenerbahce dared to dream?
Typically, Chelsea's manager did not have the answers. "I don't know what to say," said Avram Grant. They were not good enough, not by a long chalk. That would have been a fairer assessment.
"This is not a bad result," he went on. Oh yes it is. You snooze, you lose, and that is exactly what Chelsea did against one of European football's emerging teams.
Chelsea should have been out of sight by the time Colin Kazim- Richards, who began his career at Bury and is known as Kazim Kazim in Turkey, equalised. Instead, they could be out of the competition and the inquest begins here.
Chelsea appeared unbeatable in the first half. They were awesome. Simple as that.
Michael Ballack was brilliant, seamlessly switching the ball from defence to attack, and a walking advert for German engineering. Slick, smooth and so easy on the eye. Then he went missing in the second half. Inevitably, he was not alone.
Defeat re-opens some old wounds, of course. The Chelsea manager will not appreciate the reminders, but defeats against Manchester United and Arsenal in the Barclays Premier League, Tottenham in the Carling Cup Final, Barnsley in the FA Cup and now Fenerbahce are brought sharply into focus. Ouch.
Zico undid them in the same way as he did during 88 glorious caps for Brazil: with class and with composure.
Fenerbahce did not panic when Deivid's outstretched boot steered Florent Malouda's cross into the net. Instead, they responded in the same way they have done all season in this competition.
Football grounds rarely come more hostile than the Sukru Saracoglu. Just under 50,000 Fenerbahce fanatics were on the backs of this Chelsea team, whistling them whenever they were in possession and screaming for glory and goals whenever Zico's side won it back.
The atmosphere was poisonous and Fenerbahce went on the attack.
These are the kind of games UEFA dreamed of when they launched this competition in 1992.
Zico's team beat Anderlecht, Inter, PSV Eindhoven and CSKA Moscow — all champions of their respective countries — on their way to a second-round knockout tie with Sevilla. They went on to power their way past the UEFA Cup holders in Turkey, beating them on penalties in the second leg and setting up this mouth-watering tie against Chelsea.
Stamford Bridge will be electric for the second leg on Tuesday. It has to be. Nothing less will do, not after this implosion.
There can be no more mistakes. There is no longer any margin for error as Grant gears up for the game that will determine his future as Chelsea manager.
Forget the League and catching Manchester United. Realistically, the Champions League remains their best chance of success, but a place in the semi-final is no longer guaranteed.
They were on their way when Malouda's cross was deflected beyond Victor Demirel in the 13th minute, but Ballack's failure to convert just after the break offered Fenerbahce a shaft of light.
The midfielder, a Champions League runner-up with Bayer Leverkusen and a winner with Bayern Munich, controlled the tempo, sitting in for Lampard whenever he roamed forward or setting off in support of Didier Drogba, Joe Cole or Malouda.
His ball set Drogba free in the last minute of the first half, but Demirel came out brilliantly to clear on the edge of his own area. He saved his side, but now Chelsea need saving.
Kazim-Richards, who scuttled around English football with Bury, Brighton and Sheffield United before Zico took a chance on him, rattled Chelsea's cage with a wonderful strike in the 64th minute.
Ricardo Carvalho was caught cold and Kazim-Richards, on as a substitute, caught him out. Nice work from the kid who joined Brighton when a fan won a competition by league sponsor Coca-Cola that gave the club £250,000 to buy him. He ripped Chelsea apart, crushing their dreams with a first-class goal.
His finish was impressive, but not a patch on the winner. It was a wonderful shot, but Chelsea goalkeeper Carlo Cudicini was at fault, failing to leave the ground in time to stop Deivid's strike finding its way into his top right-hand corner.
Petr Cech would have stopped it, no question. Deivid spotted the path to glory nine minutes from time and his 30-yard strike had the accuracy of a tracer bullet.
Grant said: "We wanted to play the second leg at home and that will be good for us.' That is what Sevilla said in the second round, Avram. Look what happened to them.
FENERBAHCE (4-3-3): Volka 6; Onder 6, Lugano 6, Edu 6, Vederson 7; Maldonado 5, Aurelio 7, Boral 6 (Kazim-Richards 54min, 7); Deivid 8, Kezman 6 (Senturk 72, 6), Alex 6. CHELSEA (4-3-3): Cudicini 6; Essien 6, Carvalho 5, Terry 7, A Cole 6; Ballack 8, Makelele 7, Lampard 6 (Obi 76); J Cole 6 (Anelka 85), Drogba 6, Malouda 6. Man of the match: Deivid. Referee: Claus Bo Laursen (Denmark). ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Telegraph:
Chelsea lose grip as Deivid floors GoliathBy John Ley in Istanbul
Fenerbahce (0) 2 Chelsea (1) 1
Chelsea's Champions League dream was punctured on an improbable and dramatic night in the cauldron that is the Sukru Saracoglu stadium. Leading by an early own goal from Fenerbahce's Deivid, Chelsea conceded their first in 11 hours 26 minutes of European football to a player born in Leytonstone, schooled in Walthamstow and given his early chance at Bury's Gigg Lane, and then lost the lead to a villain turned hero.
Colin Kazim-Richards, known in Turkey as Kazim Kazim, came on in the 54th minute and, within 11 minutes, had given Fenerbahce hope of remaining in the competition. The story is an improbable one; he was signed by Brighton after a fan won a Coca-Cola-sponsored competition - he is known as the Coca-Cola Kid - to give the club £250,000 to buy a player.
And when, in the 81st minute Deivid unleashed a 30-yard drive into the top left-hand corner, Fenerbahce could rightly feel confident of progressing to the semi-finals and leaving the position of Avram Grant in question.
The game was turned on its head when Kazim-Richards latched onto Mehmet Aurelio's long pass, left Ricardo Carvalho in his wake with one touch to control and another to finish. If that rattled Chelsea, they were torn apart by a quite stunning second goal.
Having handed Chelsea the advantage, Deivid redeemed himself when he struck a wonderful right-foot drive beyond Carlo Cudicini to turn this part of Istanbul into a cacophony of noise and celebration. Next Tuesday's return will be fascinating.
Grant recalled Frank Lampard, fit after recovering from a virus, for his 50th appearance in the Champions League, and kept faith with Didier Drogba in attack, leaving former Fenerbahce striker Nicolas Anelka having to settle for a substitute's role. Grant also opted to play Michael Essien at right-back, rather than in his more accustomed midfield role.
It was only the fourth time this season that the Ghanaian had played in defence, most recently in the valuable 2-1 win over Arsenal. But he will have been mindful that it was a position the African occupied a year ago, when Chelsea gained a valuable 2-1 victory over Valencia in Spain. Florent Malouda was also recalled, for his first start since he featured in the FA Cup defeat at Barnsley, with Salomon Kalou on the bench.
The path to the quarter-finals has been an impressive road, made more notable by the fact that Chelsea began their latest European crusade with a worryingly inept 1-1 draw at home to Rosenborg under Jose Mourinho.
That less-than-special performance was followed 24 hours later by the Portuguese manager's departure, and the introduction of Grant. Not the most popular choice, and the Stamford Bridge jury is still out on his appointment, but a sustained challenge for the Premier League, boosted by the victory over Arsenal, and unceasing success in the Champions League has given his position greater credence.
When, late on Monday night, Grant and his squad arrived in Istanbul, they were greeted not by 'Welcome to Hell' banners, but a bunch of flowers and polite applause. The atmosphere last night was less gracious; the shrill whistles and all-around sound in this wonderful stadium was designed to test the strongest eardrums, with the Sukru Saracoglu stadium a sea of black and yellow. Such an intimidating atmosphere was in remarkably stark contrast to the muted ambience at Stamford Bridge for Sunday's laboured 1-0 win over Middlesbrough.
Chelsea's 1,000 fans - the club sent back 1,200 tickets - were hemmed into a corner of the stadium and, despite attempts to rally their team, they were constantly drowned out. There was no doubting the atmosphere was an advantage to the Turks, who threatened for the first time in the sixth minute when Kezman and Alex combined for Gokcek Vederson, but Cudicini reacted the quicker and saved the moment.
Chelsea, though, were less intimidated by the opposition, with Claude Makelele outstanding in an anchor role, and when Michael Ballack fed the freshly shaven-headed Joe Cole soon afterwards, the England forward's cross was cleared. Seconds later, Cole, seeing goalkeeper Volkan Demirel off his line, attempted a chip that lacked force.
But they maintained the pressure and, in the 13th minute, claimed a valuable early advantage when Deivid, wearing the No 99 shirt, turned the ball into his own goal. Standing off Chelsea, Fenerbahce allowed the visitors to press, and when Ashley Cole sent the ball forward, Ballack dummied, Frank Lampard pushed it forward and Malouda's delivery was intercepted by Deivid, the Brazilian unwittingly directing into his own net. The wall of silence that greeted the goal was equally stunning.
Five minutes later, Essien ventured forward to direct a shot over the bar, Fenerbahce responding briefly with a timid effort from Mehmet Aurelio. But when Essien sent a high cross to Drogba, he had time to claim a second goal instead of heading wide. Lampard, too, had a good chance against a side who struggled to maintain possession.
Volkan saved well to deny Drogba, in the 30th minute, and then shot wide when he should have taken advantage of four team-mates rushing alongside.----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The TimesApril 3, 2008
Colin Kazim-Richards ensures plenty of hard work ahead for ChelseaFenerbahçe 2 Chelsea 1
Matt Hughes in Istanbul
Roman Abramovich will live in hope that Avram Grant’s turbulent reign at Stamford Bridge has not found permanent expression in this second-half car crash. At the moment, it appears as though it is a fitting summary.
Cruising to victory while playing some of their best football of the season, Chelsea suddenly were on the end of a shock defeat after conceding two goals in the space of 16 minutes, the first from Colin Kazim-Richards, a former Football League striker whose lack of European pedigree is shown by the fact that his first transfer was the result of a competition sponsored by Coca-Cola.
The Chelsea first-team coach cut a sorrowful figure while failing to provide a reason for the defeat, although few others present could offer a plausible explanation, other than the blindingly obvious — Fenerbahçe took their chances.
It is Grant’s fate that he is blamed for all that goes wrong regardless of whether it is his fault or not. Good managers find a way to win matches they should have lost, while poor ones lose games that were there to win. On this occasion, however, such analysis does him a disservice.
Grant is in the invidious position where credit for success will be given to his players, whereas blame for any failure is thrust firmly at his door, but the men on the pitch should take responsibility on this occasion. Chelsea created enough chances to win several matches but failed to take advantage, thwarted by casual finishing and several outstanding saves from Volkan Demirel.
Didier Drogba was particularly culpable, although Grant could be criticised, too, for failing to make a change after Fenerbahçe came back into it in the second half. The introduction of John Obi Mikel for a tiring Frank Lampard was a case of too little, too late.
The ultimate irony is that, for much of the night, Grant appeared to have got all the big decisions right, with Michael Ballack outstanding on his return to the side and Michael Essien getting through the work of two men at right back as he frequently stepped into midfield to drive his team-mates forward. Even Florent Malouda contributed on his first appearance for the club since the FA Cup defeat away to Barnsley four weeks ago, with his cross from the left silencing the crowd as Deivid put through his own net in the thirteenth minute.
Chelsea had started confidently enough, with Claude Makelele dictating the pace in midfield and Joe Cole providing a good outlet down the right and, after taking the lead, they dominated. Essien hit the crossbar with a powerful drive from 30 yards, Drogba headed across goal from the Ghanaian’s hopeful cross and then brought a smart save from Volkan after a clever ball from Ballack.
Chelsea’s biggest problem at that time appeared to be overconfidence, the only possible explanation for Drogba’s poor decision to shoot from the edge of the penalty area when Essien was unmarked in space to his right. Other than their own profligacy, Chelsea’s only moment of concern in the first half came when Mehmet Aurélio burst down the right and Ricardo Carvalho failed to reach his cross. Fortunately for them, so did Mateja Kezman.
Drogba spurned a great chance to kill the game just before half-time, shooting straight at Volkan after another magnificent through-ball from Ballack, a miss that proved costly when Fenerbahçe improved. Alex headed wide and Kezman aimed an overhead kick straight at Carlo Cudicini before Kazim-Richards grabbed the equaliser with a goal that could have been inspired by Neil Warnock, who signed him for Sheffield United.
Aurélio’s long ball caught Chelsea by surprise, no wonder given they had not conceded in this competition for more 11 hours, with Kazim-Richards outpacing Carvalho to shoot past Cudicini. If Grant’s sudden elevation to this level was a surprise, then that of Kazim-Richards has been even more astounding — the 21-year-old scored only nine goals in three seasons with Bury, Brighton & Hove Albion and Sheffield United before moving last summer to the country of his mother’s birth.
Spurred on by their fans, Fenerbahçe pushed for a second and were rewarded in the 81st minute when Deivid atoned for his own goal by beating Cudicini with a swerving shot from 30 yards. Chelsea still have it in them to progress, but if they fail to do so, the Champions League could claim the scalp of the club’s second manager this season.
Fenerbahçe (4-4-1-1): Volkan Demirel – Önder Turaci, Edu, Lugano, Gökcek Vedersen – Deivid, C Maldonado, Mehmet Aurélio, Ugur Boral (sub: C Kazim-Richards, 54min) – Alex – M Kezman (sub: Semih Sentürk, 72). Substitutes not used: Serdar Kulbilge, Yasin Cakmak, Kemal Aslan, Ali Bilgin, Selcuk Sahin.
Chelsea (4-3-3): C Cudicini – M Essien, R Carvalho, J Terry, A Cole – M Ballack, C Makelele, F Lampard (sub: J O Mikel, 76) – J Cole (sub: N Anelka, 86), D Drogba, F Malouda. Substitutes not used: Hilário, P Ferreira, S Kalou, S Wright-Phillips, Alex.
Referee: C B Larsen (Denmark). ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Indy:
Fenerbahce 2 Chelsea 1: Grant's sweet dream of glory shaken up by Coca-Cola Kid
Glenn Moore at the Sukru SaracogluThursday, 3 April 2008
Chelsea's apparently serene progress to the Champions League semi-finals was shaken up last night by the "Coca-Cola Kid". Colin Kazim-Richards, who was once transferred as a result of a competition by the sponsor, last night wrote another chapter into his extraordinary journey from Leytonstone to the banks of the Bosphorus.
The former Bury, Brighton and Sheffield United striker was brought on 53 minutes into a quarter-final first-leg tie which Chelsea had utterly dominated. He conjured the 64th-minute equaliser which transformed the match. A previously outclassed Fenerbahce team scored again, through Deivid, 10 minutes from time, giving themselves hope of becoming Turkey's first European Cup semi-finalists.
Having been gifted a lead by Deivid's 12th-minute own goal, Chelsea had enough chances to win comfortably. While they will still expect to progress after Tuesday's second leg at Stamford Bridge, they will be angry at their failure to put this tie to bed.
"I don't know what to say," said a bemused and frustrated Avram Grant. "We played such good football we deserved to win three- or four-nil. One minute of sleeping and they are back in the game. Even then [Michael] Ballack had a great chance for 2-1, then they score from 25 metres.
"Normally it is not a bad result when you score away, 2-1 is not a bad result, but it is disappointing because of our performance. Our play was good, but football is a game of results."
Zico, Fenerbahce's coach, responded: "The score is how it ends. If you don't get the score you wish for it is because you don't take your chances."
The first of Chelsea's 15 attempts on goal came after 11 minutes when Volkan Demirel caught Joe Cole's chip. A minute later Florent Malouda broke into the box and pulled the ball back only for Deivid, the back-tracking Brazilian striker, to turn the cross inside his own near post.
The goal knocked Fenerbahce's confidence and soon quietened, relatively speaking, the crowd. That had been one of Chelsea's pre-match aims. With only the hardiest of their supporters braving the Sukru Saracoglu, Chelsea were almost as bereft of vocal support as England had been in the Euro 2004 qualifier here, when away fans were banned.
As a consequence the match began with every Chelsea touch being accompanied by ear-splitting whistling and every Fenerbahce move prompting high-decibel cheers. Chelsea's dominance lowered the volume and they should have silenced the crowd entirely. Michael Essien, playing at right-back, hit the bar after 17 minutes from nearly 30 yards and Didier Drogba threatened three times.
Midway through the half he out-jumped Onder Turaci to Joe Cole's cross but headed wide. He then took a pass from Ballack, turned his man and brought an excellent save from Demirel. The goalkeeper denied Drogba again shortly before half-time, sprinting from his goal to hack the ball clear from the striker's feet, 25 yards out. With Frank Lampard, after a bout of head-tennis in the home box, also going close Chelsea should have made the game safe. All Fenerbahce had to offer were a clutch of wide and not very handsome long shots.
It was a poor response from a club who are almost as ambitious as Chelsea, being bent on regional, if not global domination. Aziz Yilidrim, their chairman, said prior to this match: "Fenerbahce are going to be one of the greatest clubs ever. We will be like Chelsea, Milan or Real Madrid in 10 years. This is inevitable." Shave his head and it could have been Chelsea's chief executive, Peter Kenyon, doing the talking.
It might be imagined that the pre-requisite for such status would be a European Cup or two but, like Chelsea prior to the arrival of their current owner, Roman Abramovich, Fenerbahce are yet to even reach a Champions League semi-final. The expensive hiring of Roberto Carlos and Zico is aimed at ending this omission. The former, however, was not fit enough to make the bench last night and, like many a great player turned manager, Zico found it difficult to replicate from the dug-out the influence he once had on the pitch.
The interval did offer an opportunity for the Brazilian to revive his team.
"I told my players: 'be confident, trust in yourselves'," he said. Alex soon went close with a glancing header but Chelsea remained in control with Demirel again denying Drogba and Ricardo Carvalho shooting over.
Enter Kazim-Richards, London-born of an Antiguan father and Turkish-Cypriot mother. He is believed to want a return to England and quickly used this stage to showcase his quixotic talents. Mehmet Aurelio dropped a searching ball over the head of Carvalho and Kazim-Richards produced a superb finish.
Grant did not immediately blame Carvalho, noting: "We did not press the ball in midfield. When you are dominant you do not feel the danger but in football you must concentrate all the time."
Lampard, to his obvious displeasure, was withdrawn. The central midfield needed stiffening, Lampard had been sick all week and Ballack had played well. Yet it was Ballack who then wasted a clear chance to restore the lead and the substitute, John Obi Mikel, who should have been quicker to close down Deivid before the No 99 hit a stunning 30-yard winner that left the tie very much in the balance.
"The important thing is to be in the next round," said Grant. "We can win at home." Zico countered: "Chelsea have to come forward to beat us; this is an advantage for us."
Fenerbahce (4-3-2-1): Volkan Demirel, Onder Turaci , Lugano, Edu, Gökçek Vederson;Maldonado, Aurelio,Ugar Boral (Kazim-Richards, 54); Deivid, Alex,Kezman (Senturk, 72). Substitutes not used: Sedar Kulbilge (gk), Yasin Cakmak, Kemal Aslan, Bilgin, Selcuk Sahin.
Chelsea (4-3-3): Cudicini; Essien, Ricardo Carvalho, Terry, A Cole; Ballack, Makelele, Lampard (Mikel, 76); J Cole (Anelka, 85), Drogba, Malouda. Substitutes not used: Hilario (gk), Ferreira, Kalou, Wright-Phillips, Alex.
Referee: C Bo Larsen (Denmark).---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Deivid strike sends Chelsea home with a headache
David Hytner at the Sukru SaracogluThursday April 3, 2008The Guardian
Chelsea only have themselves to blame. Having walked tall in one of Europe's footballing cauldrons, they had the opportunity to move this quarter-final tie beyond the reach of Fenerbahce, the exciting if slightly raw champions of Turkey.Although the goal that gave the visitors the lead carried a slice of fortune, Deivid diverting into his own net, it represented fair reward for the team's nerveless start and laid the foundations for a first-half siege. Yet Chelsea passed up a fistful of chances and were left to lament their profligacy.
The tide turned in the second half, following the introduction of Kazim Kazim, the forward better known to English audiences as Colin Kazim-Richards, from his stints at Bury, Brighton and Sheffield United. He was once nicknamed the Coca-Cola Kid after a Brighton fan won a competition sponsored by the soft-drink firm to secure transfer funds for his club. Albion spent the £250,000 on Kazim, a Londoner by birth who qualifies for Turkey through his Turkish-Cypriot mother.Kazim, who has altered his name to fit his new surrounds, put the sparkle into Fenerbahce and plundered his first goal for the club. Then came the blow that rocked Chelsea to their core, a 35-yard strike in a million from Deivid. As the Chelsea goalkeeper Carlo Cudicini clutched at thin air and sensed the top corner of his net swelling, Chelsea realised that next Tuesday's return leg at Stamford Bridge would be fraught with peril.
"I don't know what to say," said Avram Grant, the Chelsea manager, as he digested not only the amazing turnaround but the first goals his team had conceded in seven Champions League fixtures and their first reverse of the European season. "We deserved to be three or four up, then we go to sleep and concede a goal and then we lose from 25 metres. Normally this is not a bad result because we scored away from home but it doesn't feel like that. It will be nervous [at Stamford Bridge]. I just can't believe we didn't win. We certainly deserved to."
Grant remained confident that progress could be smoothed into the semi-final - Fenerbahce might boast a 100% home record but they have been less impressive on their Champions League travels - yet the potential for a seismic shock has been fuelled.
"There is one truth," said Zico, the Brazil legend and Fenerbahce manager. "And that is that Chelsea have to come forward in the second leg to beat us. This is an advantage for us because we are a team that always looks for goals."
There was no evidence of Fenerbahce's offensive potential in the first half, only Chelsea's fluent movement which helped to fashion a glut of chances. Their goal came when Florent Malouda, who played for the first time since the FA Cup debacle at Barnsley, crossed low and hard and, to his horror, Deivid sent the ball skidding past his helpless goalkeeper Volkan Demirel at the near post. Chelsea promptly went for the jugular and only the woodwork, loose finishing and Volkan's reflexes stopped them from becoming unassailable.
Michael Essien advanced from his unfavoured right-back role to clip the top of the bar from 25 yards and after Didier Drogba had powered a header wide, the Ivorian striker rolled Gokcek Vederson and lashed high for the near top corner. Volkan turned smartly behind. Just before the interval, Drogba hared on to Michael Ballack's through-ball and was only denied by Volkan's bolt from his penalty box.
Zico denied that he feared the worst at half-time. "I always tell my players that as long as they breathe, they are alive," he said. However, the crowd, who made the senses tingle at kick-off with the ferocity of their chanting, needed something to spark them, in what was arguably the biggest game in the club's history. Never before have Fenerbahce advanced so far in Europe's elite competition.
Kazim provided it. After Ballack had drawn a smart save from Volkan on the counter-attack, and with Fenerbahce having established a foothold in the game, the crowd lost themselves in frenzy when Kazim struck with fairytale timing. The 21-year-old fastened on to a pass from Mehmet Aurelio, leaving Ricardo Carvalho in his wake, to crash a left-footed finish past Cudicini.
Grant lamented a miss by Ballack almost immediately - the German midfielder shot too close to Volkan when well placed - but the pendulum had swung abruptly. Grant replaced Frank Lampard, who had been prominent, to the midfielder's chagrin, as Fenerbahce sensed the writing of the latest chapter in their remarkable campaign.
Kazim almost created a goal, his weighted cross from the right picking out Deivid, unmarked at the far post. He miskicked but when a longer shot at redemption presented itself, his aim was unerring. "If you cannot make the score you want, it's because you cannot take your chances," said Zico. "We took ours."
Grant has said that he "will not rest" until he takes Chelsea to the Champions League final. Sleepless nights loom before next Tuesday.
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