Independent:
Ancelotti's men stroll onward after quiet night at the Bridge
Chelsea 0 Copenhagen 0 (Chelsea win 2-0 on aggregate)
By Sam Wallace at Stamford Bridge
Resplendent in their daring pink away shirts at Stamford Bridge last night, the Copenhagen players ended up looking like the guests who turn up for the party in fancy dress only to discover that it is an altogether more sober affair than they had anticipated.
This was not a Champions League tie that will be remembered at Chelsea as a classic, rather it was a slow, often frustrating trudge, into the Champions League quarter-finals for Carlo Ancelotti's team. They got the job done but that was about it and after the renewing effect of their return to form in the Premier League this was not a performance to raise hopes dramatically for the competition's latter stages.
Nevertheless, yesterday was a year to the day since Chelsea were beaten at home by Jose Mourinho's Internazionale in the last 16 of the competition and were forced to contemplate some uncomfortable home truths. At least they are in the draw for the last eight of the competition tomorrow even if it was not pretty last night.
The official statistics said that Chelsea had just 45 per cent of the possession and 25 attempts on the Copenhagen goal. Unfortunately for Ancelotti's side only seven of them were on target. The two Copenhagen central defenders, Mathias Jorgensen and Mikael Antonsson, were much better this time around but for the most part Copenhagen were begging to be put out of their misery.
Chelsea huffed and puffed yet never delivered the knockout blow. Nicolas Anelka, Didier Drogba and John Obi Mikel all froze when presented with good chances and Ancelotti even sent on Fernando Torres as a late substitute who, despite looking sharper, can now chalk up his sixth game at his new club without a goal.
As well as Torres, Florent Malouda and Michael Essien were left on the bench and came on late in the game. All three were being rested with Manchester City on Sunday in mind when Chelsea go for their third straight Premier League win. Last night they fell back on those two Anelka goals in the first leg almost three weeks earlier to see them through.
Afterwards, Ancelotti announced himself to be satisfied with the performance. He will be relieved that he has delivered for Roman Abramovich the prospect of success in this competition again. Mourinho is in that quarter-final draw, too, but that is a problem that can wait for another day.
If he can avoid Barcelona and Real Madrid, the two remaining English sides and possibly the defending champions Internazionale in the next round then Ancelotti can consider himself a lucky manager. After the season he has had he probably deserves a bit of good fortune tomorrow.
Last night, the opposition were not up to much at all and the 36,454 crowd meant that Stamford Bridge was far from full. Aside from a glorious free-kick by Copenhagen's Senegalese striker Dame N'Doye, which hit Petr Cech's post in the first half, it was hard to remember a single notable attack from the Danes who had just two shots on target all match.
In Torres' absence, Drogba did pretty much everything but score before the break. He has not scored for Chelsea since 24 January and the anxiety is starting to show. In the first half, he was much more assertive in the Copenhagen half but was not presented with the chances to score himself.
He played a smart ball behind the Copenhagen right-back Oscar Wendt for Ashley Cole to run on to in the eighth minute and, with few options in the penalty area, Cole only put his shot into the side netting. Before the break, with Yuri Zhirkov on the left and Ramires on the right, Chelsea put the occasional good move together.
The best of them started with a searching low cross-field ball from Ramires on the right to Zhirkov on the left who played in Anelka with a first-time pass. His shot was saved by Johan Wiland in the Copenhagen goal. In two passes, Chelsea had gone from back to front and cut all the way through their opposition.
By the second half it seemed like just a matter of time until Chelsea scored. Instead they discovered new and varied ways to miss the chances that came their way. Drogba misjudged the ball at the back post from Jose Bosingwa's cross. Anelka lost his nerve when through on goal and doubled back. Mikel struck the bar with a header from just a yard out.
They were a good deal less ruthless than they had been two weeks before in Copenhagen. The Danish champions hung on grimly waiting for the moment when they were put out of their misery.
With little more than 20 minutes left to play, Ancelotti sent on Torres for Anelka to try to liven up what was becoming a non-event. In Anelka's long, grumpy walk to the bench you could tell exactly what he thought about the decision. Torres saw little of the ball at first but a burst down the left side and a shot clipped with his right foot had a glimmer of promise about it.
The Danish fans in the Shed celebrated this draw like a victory and well they might given how far off the pace their team had looked in the first leg. As for Chelsea, the last eight of the Champions League has become a basic requirement over recent years and they must pray that the draw is kind to them. Ancelotti will also have to hope that his players respond when the stakes are higher.
Man of the match: Ivanovic.
Match rating: 4/10.
Referee: S O Moen (Nor).
Attendance: 36,454.
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Guardian:
Unconvincing Chelsea ease into last eight against FC Copenhagen
Chelsea 0 FC Copenhagen 0
Chelsea's progress to the quarter-finals of the Champions League had so low a profile that it verged on invisibility. With the tie beyond Copenhagen after the 2-0 defeat at home, the Danish side came to Stamford Bridge determined to make off with whatever credit was still attainable from the tie. In the latter part of the second half they were even striving to win the match.
In truth they lacked the means to do that but Chelsea's finishing was so vague that it took the introduction of Fernando Torres from the bench to call upon Johan Wiland for a save of note. Most of the crowd of 36,454 had to be tolerant at least, with only the visiting supporters discovering any kind of pleasure in the fixture.
It may gnaw at Chelsea that it took Torres to raise hopes but the other forwards also showed quality, even when it vanished once they were in sight of the posts. There was effort despite the fact that a place in the last eight was, to all intents and purposes, Chelsea's before the sides even emerged from the dressing room.
It was typical of Copenhagen's attitude that, for instance, Oscar Wendt should pull off a tackle on Nicolas Anelka when the Frenchman seemed to have gone clear moments from half-time. The French striker differed from his team-mates by being a little sharper but Wiland saved a mediocre shot when he went through in the 21st minute.
The visitors had to retreat eventually but are to be saluted for opening as if all their hopes were intact. Even their manager, Stale Solbakken, looked frantic throughout. Without such spirit Copenhagen would not have got this far in the tournament. It must have been galling, too, that they had gone into the first game with Chelsea while lacking competitive match practice because of a mid-season break. Their more recent exertions enlivened them here.
Carlo Ancelotti's side, for their part, have begun to feel better about themselves, with improvement witnessed in the Premier League. While reconstruction is in progress, Torres was marginalised and David Luiz is ineligible. The old guard were therefore presented with an opportunity to illustrate their continuing relevance.
Copenhagen had a keen appetite of their own and came close to a goal in the first half when Dame N'Doye hit the post with a free-kick after 26 minutes. There had, all the same, been gusto from Chelsea and Didier Drogba, perhaps eager to emphasise his status as a centre-forward while Torres sat on the bench, was keen to link with Anelka.
It was Drogba who released Ashley Cole in the eighth minute, only for the left-back to fire into the side netting. The Ivorian then adopted a more direct approach with a 30-yarder that called for a save by Wiland. Yuri Zhirkov, starting a second consecutive match while Florent Malouda pays the price for a loss of form, might have put Chelsea ahead but missed the target after being set up by Drogba and Cole.
Copenhagen's desire to compete was laudable and accusations of complacency were not to be levelled against Ancelotti's side. If anything, they were enlivened by the keenness of the visitors. Chelsea's fault was leniency. Mikel John Obi hit the bar with a header following an Anelka flick. The trait was almost wilful at times, with Anelka appearing to go through on the right only to double back and invite a challenge in the 50th minute. Before that Drogba had not been able to convert José Bosingwa's low cross at the far post.
Copenhagen, for their part, were as determined at the least to leave this stadium feeling proud of themselves. Indeed, the desire to score had increased as the second half developed. That wish to attack should, in principle, have offered scope to their opponents but Chelsea's reaction was largely one of exasperation.
The crowd was tetchy. If Copenhagen's adventurousness was not irritating enough they had to study a move between Ramires and Frank Lampard that came to no more than an aimless ball from the Englishman that ran off-target. The introduction of Torres for Anelka at least awakened enthusiasm in an exasperating game.
The outcome did not matter in itself while Copenhagen were failing to score but it would have been happier for the crowd and the players if there had been a further demonstration that Chelsea are on the rise. Even so, a berth in the quarter-finals does carry status.
There is also the pragmatic consideration that Manchester City, one of their rivals for a top-four place in the Premier League, arrive at this stadium on Sunday. Torres was being allowed some rest for that fixture and the match will also have weighed on the starting XI against Copenhagen.
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Telegraph:
Chelsea 0 FC Copenhagen 0
By Henry Winter
Chelsea were so in charge of this tie, so enjoying the comfort blanket of their two goals from the away leg, that by the end their main aim seemed to be to set up Fernando Torres for a nerve-dispelling debut goal. Cries of “shoot” arose whenever Torres entered the final third.
The Spaniard began on the bench, keeping him fresh to start against Manchester City on Sunday, allowing Nicolas Anelka (for 68 minutes) and particularly Didier Drogba (for 90) to catch the eye here. Drogba, barring a wretched shot late on that almost decapitated a linesman, slightly more resembled the heavyweight force of old.
Drogba’s malaria appears to have lost its inhibiting effect while Torres’ arrival seems a challenge the Ivorian is keen to face. Whether they can forge a potent partnership remains to be seen.
Far more understanding seemed to exist between Torres and Frank Lampard, the attacking midfielder who selflessly eschewed a good chance himself to pass to the £50 million man.
Torres failed to exploit his team-mate’s largesse. He was not alone. Chelsea had 25 attempts on goal, seven of them on target. They would have broken through but for the excellence of Johan Wiland, Copenhagen’s goalkeeper.
For all the focus on Torres’ travails, there were glimpses of the old class, a sudden burst of pace to take him clear of Copenhagen’s defence and then, moments later, a wonderful threaded pass to release Lampard. Torres will come good. In whose company is unclear. Probably not Drogba’s. Torres is likely to be paired with Anelka against City.
Before then, Chelsea have the intrigue of tomorrow’s Champions League draw. The hard work having been done in the Parken Stadium, Chelsea progressed with the minimum of fuss to the quarters.
They can meet the Premier League’s other representatives, Manchester United or Tottenham Hotspur, or any of Barcelona, Shakhtar Donetsk, Inter Milan, Schalke and Real Madrid. Jose Mourinho back at Stamford Bridge again? That would be special.
Particularly for a former Atlético Madrid player like Torres, taking on Mourinho’s Real. Torres will hope to regain his sharpness quickly, beginning on Sunday. He will start, manager Carlo Ancelotti confirmed. Unlike last night when the cameras inevitably panned towards the dugout where Torres was sitting, hardly filled with the joys of spring.
Michael Essien and Florent Malouda sat nearby, exuding bonhomie but Torres was subdued. Chelsea’s £50million man became animated only when told to warm up early in the second half, when he was greeted with a standing ovation from the Matthew Harding Stand.
Until midway through the second half, Torres had a watching brief.
Although there were no goals, there was much to enjoy. Chelsea’s first attack set the tone. After Ashley Cole and Yuri Zhirkov combined well, Drogba back-heeled the ball back to Cole. The England full-back promptly teed up Zhirkov, who dragged his shot wide.
Chelsea kept venturing upfield, often with Zhirkov prominent. The Russian soon collected a fine cross-field pass from Ramires, such an improved figure of late.
Zhirkov delayed the release of the ball until Anelka was gliding behind the Danes’ defence. The timing was perfect all round. Anelka continued down the inside-left channel and flicked out his right foot, attempting to steer the ball around Wiland.
Copenhagen’s excellent goalkeeper saved well. Not for the last time.
Yet it was Petr Cech who had the biggest alarm of the first half.
When John Terry caught Dame N’Doye 25 yards out, the Senegalese striker took the free-kick himself, wrong-footing Cech but failing to avoid the post.
Copenhagen fans loved it, chorusing, “can you hear the Chelsea sing, no-o, no-o”.
The visitors were in good voice, having greeted their bald coach with a chant in perfect English of “he’s got no hair but we don’t care, Stale Solbakken”.
Little was going to quieten the visitors, even their team’s slightly cautious approach. The Danish champions, resplendent in their pink garb, enjoyed 54 per cent of the possession overall, yet Chelsea had most of the better chances. The half finished with Drogba demanding a good save from Wiland.
Chelsea continued to be profligate as the second period unfolded.
Drogba side-footed wide from a superb Jose Bosingwa cross. Then a game of head tennis saw the ball carry from Terry to Anelka to John Obi Mikel, whose effort clipped the top of the bar.
Drogba then played a magnificent pass, releasing Anelka down the inside-right channel. The Frenchman decided against shooting early, allowing Mikael Antonsson to make an excellent sliding block. A few sighs of frustration rolled around the Bridge.
Drogba was then cautioned for a challenge on Martin Vingaard. All the while, Torres was warming up vigorously, his stretching exercises royally followed by the Chelsea fans.
And then came the £50 million man. Torres was given 22 minutes against a tiring defence as Anelka trooped off. Torres was clearly desperate to score.
When poor control from Mathias Zanka Jorgensen gifted the ball to Torres, the substitute had only one intention and that was shooting, despite the massed pink ranks in front of him. His shot eventually deflected wide.
To the delight of the hugely supportive Chelsea fans, Torres was beginning to find his stride, playing slightly deeper than Drogba but suddenly showing all that old pace to destroy Copenhagen’s back-line.
His shot failed to beat Wiland, the sub-plot of the night, although the main theme was Chelsea qualifying for the quarters.
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Mail:
Chelsea 0 FC Copenhagen 0 (agg 2-0): Blues keep the dream alive and book their place in another Champions League quarter-final
By Matt Barlow
Chelsea negotiated the first anniversary of Jose's Revenge with their European dream in one piece and for that Carlo Ancelotti will be thankful.
On this day last year, Ancelotti was dealing with the debris of a premature Champions League exit at the hands of Jose Mourinho's Inter Milan.
It was a painful defeat for the Italian, a man of AC Milan stock against one of his bitterest rivals and it sparked crisis meetings at Chelsea.
This year the first knock-out round proved a more enjoyable experience for Ancelotti, even if his team did make a meal of last night's second leg against Copenhagen.
They wasted chances galore but became the third Barclays Premier League team through to tomorrow's draw for the quarter finals.
'Last year we were crying at this moment and today we are happy,' said Ancelotti. 'We have to go for a fantastic party.'
Aside from the mediocre display of finishing, Ancelotti can be satisfied, as can Fabio Capello, who was at Stamford Bridge to check on John Terry, the man he plans to reinstate as England captain for next Saturday's game against Wales and beyond.
Terry gave Capello no reason to doubt his decision and left the pitch thumping his chest in pride as Chelsea fans sang: 'One England captain'. His task was to keep complacency at bay and he completed it, even if there were a couple of jittery moments.
Dame N'Doye curled a free-kick over the defensive wall and hit a post in the first half. But for a turn of the head, Petr Cech did not move. The Danes also had decent opportunities late on but failed to transform them into shots. The rest of the game was a procession of Chelsea chances, easily created and then readily wasted.
With Sunday's Dame N'Doye curled a free-kick over the defensive wall and hit a post in the first half. But for a turn of the head, Petr Cech did not move. The Danes also had decent opportunities late on but failed to transform them into shots.
The rest of the game was a procession of Chelsea chances, easily created and then readily wasted. With Sunday's game against Manchester City in mind, Ancelotti started with Fernando Torres on the bench and sent him on for the last 22 minutes to replace Nicolas Anelka. It was a switch cheered by the crowd but it did not impress Anelka, who scowled his way off and could barely bring himself to accept his manager's hand on the touchline.
Torres almost struck within seconds with a deflected effort, which drifted just wide, and went close again but the £50million striker could not break his Chelsea duck. Ancelotti will not complain if the Spaniard saves his goals for later in the competition. Perhaps against Mourinho's Real Madrid who also progressed last night. Carlo's Revenge?
'Our squad is strong enough to win it,' said the Chelsea manager.
'The players are fit and fresh because they have been asleep for two months. The feeling is good. We have to wait for the draw. Barcelona is the most dangerous team but we are calm and we are quiet.'
Copenhagen's charismatic boss Stale Solbakken believes Chelsea are one of the few teams with the muscle to overpower Barca, although they will have to address their shooting if they are to win the European Cup for the first time.
One positive for Ancelotti was Didier Drogba, who looked more mobile and energetic than he has in weeks since contracting malaria.
The Ivory Coast striker threaded an intricate pass inside right back Oscar Wendt to find Ashley Cole, early in the game, only for the England left back to set the tone by crashing the ball into the sidenetting from an impossible angle.
In front of goal, Drogba misfired like his team-mates, sweeping his best chance wide early in the second half and he was booked as his irritation boiled over. The caution may return to haunt him. Anelka had supplied the clinical touch in the first leg in Denmark, scoring both in the 2-0 win, and thought he had killed the tie midway through the first half. Moving on to a pass from Zhirkov, he took his shot early, trying to poke it low past the goalkeeper but Johan Wiland dropped a left-hand on to the ball and jammed it into the ground.
John Mikel Obi went closest, with a header against the bar after a corner by Frank Lampard.
As frustration increased, Ancelotti's patience frayed. He snatched the ball as it bounced into touch, tucked it under an arm and argued with the fourth official about the award of a throw-in.
By the end, he was more relaxed and able to joke about a pre-match bust-up with Torres. 'He was very upset because he wanted to play,' said Ancelotti. 'We had a big argument before the game. He took his shirt and put it on the peg where the team sits. It was an unbelievable situation.' He laughed as he added: 'You can believe it if you want.'
MATCH FACTS
Chelsea (4-4-2): Cech 6; Bosingwa 6, Ivanovic 6, Terry 7, Cole 7; Ramires 8, Lampard 6, Mikel 6 (Essien 84min), Zhirkov 7 (Malouda 76); Drogba 6, Anelka 5 (Torres 68, 6). Subs not used: Turnbull, Ferreira, Kalou, McEachran.
Booked: Drogba.
Copenhagen (4-4-2): Wiland 7; Wendt 6, Jorgensen 6, Antonsson 7, Bengtsson 6 (Zohore 61, 6); Bolanos 6 (Kristensen 90), Claudemir 6, Kvist 6, Vingaard 7 (Santin 74, 6); N'Doye 6, Gronkjaer 6. Subs not used: Christensen, Bergvold, Hooiveld, Delaney.
Booked: Claudemir, Kvist, Bolanos.
Man of the match: Ramires. Referee: Svein Oddvar Moen (Norway) 7.
======================================================
Sun:
Chelsea 0 Copenhagen 0
By ANDREW DILLON
Chelsea win 2-0 on aggregate
IF only the rest of the Chelsea team could shoot as well as Ashley Cole.
Safe passage into the quarter-finals of the Champions League but a rare night of firing blanks for Carlo Ancelotti's Blues.
Chelsea seemed more than happy to stroll through by missing chance after chance in front of goal and in front of their lowest crowd of the season - just 36,454.
It was hardly the stuff to send shivers of fear through the rest of Europe - unlike the club's work experience lads who quake in their boots when Chelsea's gun-toting left-back Cole swaggers into the training ground each day.
Of all the Champions League second-leg games facing English clubs, last night's at Stamford Bridge looked the most routine of all.
Cruising two goals to the good from the first leg, with the return at home against an unfancied team from Denmark, in some ways you can understand Ancelotti's men taking their foot off the gas.
After the adrenalin rush of Arsenal's collapse against Barcelona's superstars, Tottenham's memorable two-legged triumph over AC Milan and Manchester United finally seeing off a spirited Marseille, perhaps we were due a quiet night.
It certainly panned out that way.
Copenhagen trotted out in pink shirts - but that was the best way for the Danes to be noticed on the pitch, such was Chelsea's domination.
But although the Blues dictated the tempo, they missed out on an opportunity to shine and send a clear message that they mean business this season - after all, this is the club's last realistic hope of a trophy.
Chelsea scuffed a series of chances to break the deadlock early on and secure an unassailable lead.
Yuri Zhirkov was chief culprit, with two great opportunities going to waste when he was put through in the danger area.
The Russian certainly did not look £18million-worth of talent when he slashed a shot wide after 18 minutes of one-way traffic.
Cole teed him up in the box following good work by Didier Drogba. And after half-an-hour he chucked away another decent chance when Nicolas Anelka squared the ball to him.
But Frank Lampard and Drogba were also off target on a night when the Blues played as though merely turning up to rubber-stamp a place in the hat for the last eight.
Copenhagen did not look the part in their garish strip and were largely outclassed in most departments, rarely threatening Chelsea.
Their only serious attempt at goal came with a free-kick on the edge of Petr Cech's area.
Dame N'Doye delivered an impressive curling shot which bent over the Chelsea wall. But with Cech heading the wrong way, the ball crashed against the post and was hacked away for a corner.
Even the sight of £50million sub Fernando Torres warming up could not trigger an instant reaction from Blues frontmen Drogba and Anelka.
Anelka was drafted in to replace the Spaniard - who was being, ahem, 'rested' by his manager as he searches for his first Chelsea goal since that huge January move from Liverpool.
But shaven-headed Frenchman Anelka looked a shadow of the striker who scored both goals in Denmark three weeks ago.
Having had a close-range shot saved by keeper Johan Wiland's legs earlier, he made the mistake of trying to be over-elaborate when sent clean through in the 50th minute . . . and yet another chance went begging.
John Obi Mikel also headed against the bar from inside the six-yard box.
Anelka paid the price for his wastefulness when he was substituted with 22 minutes left for Torres.
And Britain's most expensive footballer made his by now customary impact on the match with one hugely deflected shot and another saved easily by the keeper.
Drogba and skipper John Terry were among the other culprits to miss the target before the game was thankfully brought to a close without too much lingering by bored Norwegian referee Svein Oddvar Moen.
It could have been a bit more hairy but, luckily for shot-shy Chelsea, Copenhagen were just as hopeless in front of goal.
After N'Doye's first-half curler, they had to wait until sub Cesar Santin tried a long-range shot with eight minutes to go.
The fact Chelsea had SEVENTEEN efforts off target said it all.
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Mirror:
Chelsea 0-0 Copenhagen:
By Martin Lipton
Job Done, without the merest hint it would not be.
Mission accomplished, with tomorrow's draw in Nyon what it is all about.
But not exactly the spectacle Roman Abramovich was looking for when he sanctioned spending £50million on Fernando Torres, a night that would have been forgotten the moment the home fans walked back onto the Fulham Road.
And while cold-blooded professionalism has its place in football, sometimes you'd like to come to Stamford Bridge and have your spirits lifted.
The fact that the Copenhagen players were still standing in front of the Shed End, basking in the applause of their travelling fans, long after John Terry finished thanking his own supporters and disappeared down the tunnel, told its own story.
Celebrating a goalless draw which only confirmed the inevitable is indicative of a side which came with damage limitation at the forefront of their minds, a task they accomplished by only rarely venturing over the half-way line, although only the woodwork denied Dame N'Doye in the first half.
Everybody, including the Danes, knew this one had been finished, done and dusted, by Nicolas Anelka's double in the Danish capital three weeks ago.
That was why Anceotti left Torres on the bench for nearly 70 minutes, content to save the Spaniard for more important tests to come.
But if Ancelotti was hoping for Anelka or Didier Drogba to stake an unchallengeable case for starting alongside the Spaniard, for John Obi Mikel to prove his slump is over, or Yuri Zhirkov to make himself a left-sided option, the Italian was as let down as any of the fans who splashed out their hard-earned readies to watch this.
Of course, Jose Mourinho created a Chelsea team that knew all about doing the minimum required and Ancelotti was educated in the cynical school of Serie A.
No matter what moans he might hear from Roman Abramovich over the next few days, Ancelotti can remind the Chelsea owner that you only win the Champions League if you fist reach the quarter-finals, and he has at least gone one round further than last year already.
Yet if Chelsea are to harbour realistic hopes of conquering Barcelona or Mourinho's Real Madrid, both of whom are possible last eight opponents, they will have to find a gear they simply did not have in front of a subdued, at times slumbering Bridge.
This was a night in which the only thing that was eye-catching was Copenhagen's lurid magenta shirts.
Yes, Chelsea carved out the chances. A staggering 28 shots, although only 12 of them on target.
Bad misses from Zhirkov, Drogba and Mikel, openings wasted by Anelka and Ashley Cole too, Ancelotti slapping his hands together in annoyance far too many times.
But in the final analysis, no goals meant no drama, job done and a Blues cruise into the business end of the competition.
They will, as Ancelotti accepted, need to find far more but maybe the Italian should have known what was to come after the opening quarter of the game.
Frank Lampard's third minute miss, wide of the near post from six yards after Cole burst forward, was the trail-blazer and his colleagues proceeded to follow the example.
Perhaps it was too easy. Certainly there was little or no intensity as the Danes seemed to accept the inevitable from a long way out and while Chelsea pressed, they did it with very little conviction.
Cole smashed into the side-netting, Drogba - who was trying to do too much - fired at keeper Johan Wiland, Zhirkov squeezed wide from 12 yards and then, after Ramires began the move of the match with a glorious crossfield ball to release Zhirkov, Anelka tried to be too cute with his first-time finish.
Odd as it sounds, it might have been better for Chelsea, certainly for the game, had N'Doye's beautifully-wrapped free-kick from 25 yards bounced into the net off Petr Cech's right-hand upright rather than back into play.
But that was Copenhagen's only moment of threat and from then to the end it was a story of more missed opportunities, Drogba volleying wide from eight yards, Mikel nodding against the top of the bar as Terry and Anelka played head-tennis from a Lampard corner.
Torres, on for an unimpressed Anelka, might twice have broken his duck but nobody was complaining when the final whistle cut short the tedium. It can only get better.
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Star:
CHELSEA 0 COPENHAGEN 0: BLANK JOB IS OK BY CARLO ANCELOTTI
17th March 2011
By David Woods
COPENHAGEN played in pink shirts but it was Chelsea who were off colour last night.
Carlo Ancelotti’s men spurned chance after chance to put down the Champ-ions League underdogs.
Thankfully for the Chelsea boss his men had all but guaranteed qualif- ication for the last eight by winning 2-0 in the Danish capital 23 days ago.
But Ancelotti, with all his European experience, will know the Blues cannot afford to be so wasteful at the business end of the competition.
Copenhagen are no Barcelona – they had never reached the knockout stages before – or Shakhtar Donestk for that matter.
It would have been interesting to see how the Blues would have reacted if Dame N’Doye’s free-kick in the 26th minute had gone in instead of smacking against a post.
There was a sub-plot to this game last night with England manager Fabio Capello at the game following all the talk this week about whether Manchester United’s Rio Ferdinand or John Terry of Chelsea is his international skipper.
“One England captain, there’s only one England captain,” came the roar from the Chelsea faithful.
Some of whom had draped a banner proclaiming ‘JT, Captain, Leader, Legend’ just before kick-off.
The Blues skipper turned to applaud them. It is not known whether Capello, had joined in the singing!
Terry’s fellow England star Frank Lampard had a great chance to hit the target in the third minute.
John Obi Mikel’s intelligent pass sent Ashley Cole to the by-line.
His cross was a shade behind Lampard, who could only stub a left-foot shot wide.
Didier Drogba outdid Mikel with an even better pass to Cole with the outside of his right boot.
This time Cole opted to shoot, into the side-netting, rather than try to pick out Nicolas Anelka.
Drogba was on target from 25 yards with a left-footer than did not test Johan Wiland too much.
Copenhagen, sporting those neon pink shirts that would not have looked out of place in a nightclub, tried their best to take the game to Chelsea.
Sadly they rarely looked pretty in pink.
In the 18th minute Drogba continued his lively start with a superb backheel to Cole in the box.
The left-back teed up Yuri Zhrikov, who had started the move, but the Russian skewed his shot wide.
Drogba, who has been left out of three starting line-up since the arrival of Fernando Torres, was certainly lively, with the Spaniard watching from the bench.
So too was strike partner Anelka – two-goal hero in the victory in Denmark – and he came so close to giving Chelsea the lead again in the 20th minute.
Zhirkov’s ball sent Anelka through on goal and his flicked shot was kept out well by Wiland, using his left hand.
But it was Copenhagen who came closest to taking the lead in the 26th minute.
A superb free-kick from N’Doye, who had been the victim of a poor challenge from Terry, had Petr Cech beaten, but smacked against the keeper’s right post. Terry cleared the immediate danger.
Drogba sent Anelka racing clear and he did well to wait for Zhirkov to dash into the six-yard box.
Again the Chelsea fringe player was wasteful, sidefooting wide with his left foot.
Drogba was at fault in the 42nd minute. With Lampard and Anelka bursting into the box, he sent his cross flying high over both their heads.
Drogba then curled a weak shot far too close to Wiland after being set up by Lampard.
The wastefulness continued two minutes after the break when Drogba’s sidefoot volley, following a cross from Jose Bosingwa, went a couple of feet wide even though the Ivorian was only seven yards out.
Anelka tried one turn too many after racing on to Drogba’s through ball.
From a Lampard corner, three successive headers from Terry, Anelka and Mikel saw the Nigerian nod against the bar.
Anelka was not having a great night. Another defence-splitting pass from Drogba sent him away down the right channel again.
Once more he opted not to shoot and Mikael Antonsson was able to leap in with a slide tackle.
Then Ramires could not get a clean contact on a cross from Drogba.
When Anelka did get off a strike on goal, in the 60th minute, it went straight at Wiland.
Seven minutes later the Frenchman made his exit, allowing Torres to come on to try to break his Chelsea goal drought.
He shook Ancelotti’s hand, but did not look his boss in the eye, not raising his lowered head a fraction.
Torres, almost immediately, had a shot deflected for a corner.
Chelsea came no nearer to scoring as the game wore on.
Bosingwa lashed wide late on and there was still time for Drogba to sky the ball high over the bar.
He was so off target that he put his head under his shirt to hide his embarrassment. It just about summed up the game.
