Independent:
Benfica 1 Chelsea 2
Chelsea find a way to end their chaotic season with Europa League glory
Sam Wallace
The Amsterdam Arena
When they come to tell the story of the last 12 months of Chelsea’s history this night, this game, this trophy are really going to take some explaining.
How Rafa Benitez's team came to be the holders of the Europa League, as well as the European Cup, which is still theirs until 25 May, is one hell of story. It ended in the 93rd minute of the game when Branislav Ivanovic, hanging in the cool Amsterdam evening air that little bit longer than any of the Benfica defence, headed in a remarkable winner.
Did they dominate this game? Far from it. Did they ride their luck when Benfica controlled the first half? You bet. Did they deserve it? The winners always deserve it, no matter how they get there. As the cameras panned across the tearful Benfica fans - this was their seventh straight European final defeat dating back to 1963 - they knew that they had blown a golden chance.
Chelsea's 68th game of the season and they looked every inch a team running on fumes for much of it. But one thing that this team does not lack is an unquenchable desire to win games - and they find a way. They always seem to find a way. Fernando Torres scored a brilliant goal to give them the lead and then, when Oscar Cardozo equalised with the penalty, it fell to Ivanovic to steal in and head the ball in.
Chelsea are the experts in winning European trophies the way you are not supposed to win European trophies. As in Munich last May they were torn to shreds at times, overwhelmed and swaying on their feet. And like Munich it was them at the end of the game with the trophy in their hands, giving Paulo Ferreira the bumps and walking around with big daft grins on their faces.
Then, the moment you could never have expected. Benitez, who had hung back from the trophy parade, holding the trophy in his hands and tentatively approaching the Chelsea fans and them responding by applauding. It was almost enough to draw the attention away from John Terry, resplendent in the full Chelsea kit for the second trophy presentation in 12 months. In many respects, it would have been more disappointing had he not been.
When Frank Lampard's shot hit the bar in the 87th minute you had to wonder if the fairy tale finish on this improbable night had eluded Chelsea. In fact they were storing up something even better. No matter how much they were overrun in the first half, no matter how much they were clinging on at times, this was a superb header - a giant leap, a twist mid-air and some considerable hang-time before he nodded the ball back over goalkeeper Artur.
Yes, Chelsea were back in charge again, although a mistake by Ivanovic in the very last moment of the game almost let Cardozo in again but Petr Cech, excellent all night, thrust out a hand to push the ball away as the Paraguayan closed in. Chelsea, Benitez, Frank Lampard, Torres the whole lot of them had confounded the odds again and found that extra yard when it mattered most.
As for Torres, the scorer of a goal that was a throwback to his best days, he has achieved football's most remarkable grand slam. For club and country he, like Mata, is currently part of two teams that hold between them the World Cup, the European Championship, the European Cup and the Europa League. For the ten seconds it took him to score his first, he was the old Torres.
Afterwards, Jorge Jesus, the Benfica manager, raged against what he saw as the injustice of the result. He claimed his team were the “worthy winners”, he claimed that the Benfica supporters were better than the Chelsea supporters, he clutched at every straw he could but the emotional reality he said was that his players felt like they were “gunned down after the game”.
Chelsea reaped a whirlwind from the start and really it got little better for most of the first half. Ramires was pushed up to the right wing to compensate for the loss of Victor Moses, who was injured, and Lampard and David Luiz in midfield were barely in it before the break. Only in the second half did Lampard, and then Ramires, emerge as key figures for Chelsea.
Were it not for the woeful finishing of Benfica, before the break, this final could well have been over by half-time. The Portuguese side ruled the roost and keeping them ticking over in midfield was the very able Serbian Nemanja Matic, formerly of Chelsea.
Signed by Chelsea from the Slovakian club Kosice in 2009 as a 20-year-old, Matic left the club in January 2011 as part of the deal to bring in Luiz. Now 24, he is a dominant holding midfielder, or intimidating stature at 6ft 4in and he kept the possession ticking over nicely.
Between the 11th and 15th minutes, Chelsea were opened up on three occasions by Benfica down the wings and with the ball loose in their area more than once they were at the mercy of their opponents. Benfica could not make them pay and with just Lampard's shot, saved by Artur on 38 minutes, Chelsea stumbled over the line to get in at half-time without conceding.
There was a Cardozo goal just marginally, but correctly, disallowed for offside, and an important Cesar Azpilicueta tackle on Rodrigo before Chelsea got going in the second half. Torres' goal was a classic route one attack, which was made by Cech's throw down the middle of the pitch.
Torres was behind the Brazilian defender Luisao when he set off in pursuit of the ball but by the time he reached it the two of them came together and it was Luisao who bounced out the way. Torres emerged with the ball, went to the right of Artur and delayed his shot once to go beyond the reach of the goalkeeper before rolling it in.
Benfica's penalty was given for a handball by Azpilicueta. Cardozo's whimsical run-up suggested complacency but he thumped the ball past Cech. Later, his dipping shot was tipped over by Cech. Then Lampard hit the bar, the prelude to Ivanovic's remarkable winner. These are golden times for the Chelsea support. On nights like this it must feel like they can find a way to win every time.
Man of the match Lampard.
Match rating 8/10.
Referee B Kuipers (Neth).
Attendance 53,000.
http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/european/benfica-1-chelsea-2-match-report-chelsea-find-a-way-to-end-their-chaotic-season-with-europa-league-glory-8618032.html?action=gallery
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Telegraph:
Benfica 1 Chelsea 2
By Henry Winter, Football Correspondent at the Amsterdam Arena
Chelsea just love Europe. Whatever form it comes in, Champions League or Europa League, probably Eurovision too, they just relish its glittering company. Their salaries should be paid in Euros.
They just never give up. Just as extra-time loomed, Branislav Ivanovic launched himself at a Juan Mata corner with such conviction, reviving memories of Didier Drogba at his unstoppable best, and Chelsea suddenly, gloriously, capped a crazy, complicated season with silverware.
This was Chelsea’s 68th game, eighth competition and 12th country of the season.
An itinerary that would have taxed Michael Palin almost caught up with them here in Holland. David Luiz looked tired. Ramires’ distribution took in Belgium. They would have been buried but for Benfica’s insistence on smelling the tulips en route to goal.
They would have lost but for their in-built resilience. Managers come and go but a resolute DNA endures. They fought back from the concession of Oscar Cardozo’s penalty which had cancelled out Fernando Torres’ sublime opener. They refused to let their spirits sink when Frank Lampard’s shot almost broke the cross bar. They just kept believing.
As Ivanovic’s header looped goalwards, its voyage was followed by thousands of hopeful Chelsea fans. It dropped over Benfica’s keeper, Artur, and fell just under the bar and into the net. Rafa Benítez turned away, punching the air briefly before a smile crossed his face.
Benítez will never be accepted by Chelsea fans because of his Liverpool affiliations and perceived past criticism of those who keep the blue flag flying high but he deserves credit, praise, thanks.
As he climbed the steps to collect his medal, Benítez was embraced by Chelsea’s technical director, Michael Emenalo. He’d done his job. Benítez can walk away with his head held high.
He has been wooing the media in Spain and Italy in recent days and major clubs in La Liga and Serie A will surely show an interest. Benítez was dignified in victory, making his way amongst the heartbroken Benfica players, dispensing consoling words and respectful handshakes.
Benfica were devastated. As the great Eusebio looked on, this proud, famous Lisbon side slumped to their seventh successive European final loss since winning here in 1962 against Real Madrid.
They had played well, particularly Cardozo, but did not take their chances and Ivanovic took his. Benitez’s tactics worked too. He drilled the players in getting Torres behind Benfica’s defence. He practised the corner that brought Ivanovic’s moment of nirvana.
All around Benítez emotional scenes were raging. John Terry broke his own record for changing into a kit; he was injured, and he wanted to be involved as at the Champions League final in Munich last year when he was suspended. Along with Lampard, Terry strode up the steps, being mobbed by Chelsea fans on the way.
For Lampard, it was a special journey. He had shown again why he is worth the new one-year contract coming his way. This was not one of his most influential games but he kept the team steady when the Benfica storm blew strongest.
Lampard and Terry accepted the Europa League trophy from the Uefa president, Michel Platini. They manoeuvred so as not to knock over the suited, injured Eden Hazard and then lifted the cup to the stars. And then the party really started. Oscar jigged about draped in a Brazil flag.
Juan Mata was probably wondering where on earth he was going to put his latest medal to add to those from the World Cup, the European Championship, the Champions League, the FA Cup and the Copa del Rey.
Back down on the pitch, the players formed a jubilant gathering in front of the photographers. Torres slid across the turf to claim a place at the front. Petr Cech, as statesmanlike as ever, walked across calmly, clutching the trophy in those safe hands, and placed it down in front of the Chelsea glee club.
Then it was time to salute the fans. They deserved this moment, this show of appreciation. Chelsea fans were out in force, comfortably exceeding the ludicrously low allocation of 9,800, paying over the odds, finding space in corporate areas, just making sure they were there.
Chelsea supporters had come from all four corners of the globe from Gothenburg, New York, Adelaide and Basildon, determined to show their support. They had their flags, thanking Roman Abramovich, declaring “we want Mourinho”, and how they were “proud of our history”. Even more proud after their team made history again.
They had survived an emotional, rollercoaster night. It was only the Europa League, only the Champions League’s unassuming younger sibling but it was still a trophy, still worth fighting for.
Benfica started far the better, putting together slick, rolling moves, the ball speeding between receptive feet and perceptive minds.
Yet Chelsea enjoyed the best opportunity of the half, Lampard demanding a stunning save from the wrong-footed Artur. On the hour, Torres reminded everyone of his class. His chance came from a long Cech clearance, misread by Ezequiel Garay, gifting him a run at goal.
This was the Torres of old, the Spanish conquistador who enjoyed so many golden moments running on to a ball during his Liverpool days.
Torres sped past Luisao, who tried to ankle-tap him. Torres then feinted to go left, throwing Artur off-balance, before going right. Artur, despairingly, dived at Torres’ feet, forcing Chelsea’s No 9 wide but he showed accuracy, balance and composure to score despite the tightening angle.
The wave of celebration ripping through the Chelsea fans lasted only eight minutes. Cesar Azpilicueta handled and the excellent Dutch referee, Bjorn Kuipers, pointed to the spot.
As Cech jiggled on his line, Cardozo stayed calm, powering the ball past the Chelsea keeper. Chelsea fans kept the faith, kept singing even when Lampard hit the bar before being rewarded by Ivanovic.
Fifteen minutes later, Lampard was marching towards them holding the cup.
Even after such a draining game and season, Lampard vaulted the hoardings easily. Luiz was 50 metres behind, kneeling on the turf in his “I Belong To God” vest, praying.
Torres had acquired a T-shirt with his masked face on it. Ramires’ son was merrily low-fiving Cech. Ivanovic, having climbed above Benfica’s defence, now climbed onto the crossbar.
Chelsea’s chairman, Bruce Buck, surveyed the merriment, and smiled. Even in a difficult season, Chelsea had won yet another trophy.
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Guardian:
Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic climbs highest to sink Benfica
Daniel Taylor at Amsterdam ArenA
The clocks at either end of the stadium had just ticked past 92 minutes when Branislav Ivanovic made the run that will immortalise him in Chelsea's history. The header was weighted with perfection, angled across goal and looping into the net, and it was then that Chelsea knew they had another European trophy to take back to Stamford Bridge and Rafael Benítez's brief and turbulent period in charge was guaranteed its happy ending.
It was a remarkable climax to a match that ended with another of those disappearing acts from John Terry only to re-emerge, in full kit, so he could climb the steps, shake the hands of Eusébio, Michel Platini and all the other dignitaries, then help Frank Lampard to lift the trophy.
Benítez's team had been subjected to some intense pressure and will be grateful that Benfica's finishing was not as refined as their buildup play. Jorge Jesus's side pinned them back at times but they were guilty of being too elaborate in front of goal.
They will have to reflect on a seventh successive defeat in a European final while Chelsea try to make sense of an eccentric season rife with controversy and bad feeling but once again one finishing on an exhilarating high. That makes it 11 trophies for Roman Abramovich now in just under 10 years – not bad going considering the chaos that sometimes surrounds them.
Benítez's own count is three European trophies in 10 seasons and perhaps now it is not just wishful thinking to imagine the people who have campaigned against him can at least begrudgingly appreciate the expertise of his work. The Spaniard is such a perfectionist he will probably not be entirely satisfied with the occasional carelessness of his players, or those challenging spells when Benfica looked the more accomplished side. Yet this was a night when Chelsea once again displayed the qualities of endurance and perseverance, not to mention the touch of good fortune, that helped them win the European Cup a year ago.
It was a night, too, when Fernando Torres reminded us why he was once revered as one of the more penetrative strikers in the business. His 59th-minute strike, running from the centre-circle, beating two defenders and then rounding Artur in Benfica's goal, was a throwback to his peak at Liverpool. He may look vapid sometimes for Chelsea but he has scored nine goals in Europe and there are only two players, Cristiano Ronaldo and Robert Lewandowski, with more this season.
Benfica had moved the ball quickly. They pressed high up the pitch and played with enough ambition and fluency in attack to create considerable anxiety in the Chelsea defence. They might also have fancied their chances in extra time, after César Azpilicueta's handball gave Oscar Cardozo the chance to equalise from the penalty spot, bearing in mind they have played 18 fewer games than Chelsea this season. Yet the bottom line is they came up short given the amount of time the ball was in or around Chelsea's area.
At 1-1, Cech kept out a dipping volley from Cardozo but there was also that moment, three minutes from the end, when Frank Lampard thumped a shot against the woodwork. Chelsea had demonstrated a greater willingness throughout to test the opposition goalkeeper and, in the process, there was always the sense that Benfica, the more stylish passing team, might regret their shortcomings in front of goal.
It was still a devastating way for them to lose. The scoreboard had flashed up three minutes of stoppage time and we were in the final 45 seconds when Juan Mata whipped his corner into the penalty area. Ivanovic was the one player who attacked the cross, rising between two defenders, his eyes firmly on the ball. He was also the one man his team-mates would have wanted in that position. His header was sure and suddenly the players in red were on their knees.
For Benfica, it was a lesson about the importance of not always taking too many touches when there is the chance to shoot. The Primeira Liga's second-placed team had begun as the more confident side, with Nicolás Gaitán looking dangerous, Nemanja Matic impressive and Enzo Pérez driving through midfield.
There were times, certainly when the game was goalless, that Chelsea looked a little aimless in comparison, grateful that the assistant referee raised his flag as the troublesome Cardozo headed a 50th-minute cross past Cech. The striker had been offside, but only very marginally, and it was a warning to Chelsea that they were living dangerously.
Then came the moment Cech bowled a long throw down the middle, Mata applied a faint touch and suddenly Torres had spun away from Ezequiel Garay and was accelerating away. Torres held off Luisão, took the ball round Artur and finished with wonderful composure. It was a stunning goal.
The equaliser was a soft one to concede, Azpilicueta's left arm blocking Eduardo Salvio's header and Cardozo rifling his penalty down the middle of the goal. Not that it particularly mattered by the end as the victorious players took turns to give one another the bumps and ticker-tape filled the air. Chelsea have an unorthodox way of gathering trophies but it is a successful one – and they will cherish this as one of their great nights.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/gallery/2013/may/15/europa-league-final-benfica-chelsea-in-pictures
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Mail:
Benfica 1 Chelsea 2:
Ivanovic rises high in injury time to seal dramatic Europa League success for Benitez's Blues
By Martin Samuel
Champions of Europe. You know what they are. The header looped back across Benfica’s six-yard box and goalkeeper Artur could only watch with mounting, helpless horror. Chelsea, an unstoppable force in European competition, had done it again.
They had been outplayed and won. They were second best and would soon lift the trophy. The bright screens in the Amsterdam Arena had long shown that 90 minutes was up. There would be no revival, no brave comeback. There was no time. The goal celebrations, the post-match shindig, it all seemed to roll into one.
So here we are again. Not quite as dramatic as Munich, maybe, but no less impressive for that. Not many teams can win the big matches in adversity like this. There is a special spirit within this team and it is being handed down, like folklore. Chelsea find a way to win. Chelsea refuse to lie down. Imagine what they would be like in a boxing ring.
Referee Bjorn Kuipers played about a minute more and blew the whistle, bringing the night to its inevitable conclusion.
The red shirts stood in the centre circle devastated. They had been the better team. Everyone knew it.
Little did they know, their role was an irrelevance. This was Chelsea.
This was something beyond anybody’s control.
Branislav Ivanovic’s header at the far post summed up the resilience of this team. Imposing, powerful, perfect in the way it eluded Artur and everybody else packed into that penalty area to defend Juan Mata’s corner.
Ivanovic missed last season’s Champions League final, suspended, harshly some felt. This was justice, of sorts.
The mockers say Chelsea have no history, but that is a lie. Chelsea have some damn fine history and more was made on Wednesday night.
They are the first club ever to hold both European crowns at the same time, even if the biggest one, the Champions League is theirs for ten more days only.
With Wednesday night’s victory, Chelsea also become one of only four European clubs to have won all three UEFA titles, including the now defunct European Cup-Winners Cup. Juventus, Bayern Munich and Ajax are the others. Good company, that. Good history, too.
And that means Rafael Benitez is part of Chelsea history now, too, whether the locals like it or not.
This has ended up a good season in difficult circumstances, Champions League football now guaranteed and Europe’s lesser trophy secured.
Benitez took over when Chelsea’s defence of their European title was as good as done, so winning this was the next best thing. It is his fifth international prize as a manager — as well as the Champions League, UEFA Cup, European Super Cup and Club World Cup. Undoubtedly, his CV has been enhanced with this result, even if not every aspect of his tenure has been 100 per cent successful, as he claims.
At any other club he would be given a contract. This being Chelsea, he’ll just be given a lift to the nearest station after the game with Everton. Unless Roman Abramovich truly is balking at the compensation clause for Jose Mourinho and fancies taking on the whole of Stamford Bridge every Saturday by giving Benitez a permanent deal.
It is a pity for Benitez, who is pilloried for statements he never made and positions held in the distant past.
Football is a results business and Chelsea got their result. Benitez stuck with his starting XI – he didn’t have too many others fit – and it came through for him. As did his man, the number nine.
Fernando Torres finally delivered the bang Roman Abramovich hoped he was getting for his 50 million bucks.
He wanted a goalscorer who defined matches, who scored the big ones when it mattered.
Torres has rarely been that for Chelsea but on Wednesday night he scored the vital first, against the run of play. It was his goal on the break, his 21st of the season, that gave Chelsea an unlikely march on Benfica. Torres repaid the faith shown in him by Benitez and came good, just in time to say goodbye.
It wasn’t the finest of goals. It was route one with a bit of Fred Karno thrown in, but the record books will state Torres (59 mins), no more.
Petr Cech, Chelsea’s goalkeeper, leathered a long ball down the middle. Mata went for it and missed. Not a dummy, just a cock-up, but it was enough to fool Benfica defender Ezequiel Garay and let Torres in.
Suddenly, he was speeding through with Benfica frantic. Captain Luisao came across but missed his tackle.
Now only goalkeeper Artur remained. Torres drove right to take it around him and looked to have been caught, but he soldiered on and the ball ran clear.
He finished across his body, right-footed, as Garay’s despairing lunge fell short.
With Benfica on top for much of the game, it was no surprise that the lead held for a mere seven minutes.
Cesar Azpilicueta was Chelsea’s culprit, jumping with his arms outstretched to block a header from Eduardo Salvio and give referee Kuipers no option bar a penalty award.
Striker Oscar Cardozo stepped up, began his run, dithered slightly, stopped, started, went again and finally struck it with power, slightly left of centre. Cech dived the wrong way.
It was no more than Benfica deserved. Yet Chelsea have been second best in a final before. It rarely makes a difference to the outcome.
For those who remember Munich, the game was a little like that. There was a team in red and a team in blue and the team in blue got murdered for long periods. In the first half Benfica were superior in every way, defending resolutely, over-running Chelsea in midfield and creating chances.
Yet this is a club that had lost its last six European finals. They last lifted a European trophy in 1962. Chelsea lifted one less than a year ago. Perhaps that is what showed as the minutes ticked by.
If anything, Benfica got too close. At times, it was like watching Arsenal at their most infuriating, incredible tippy-tap football in the penalty area, but no-one brave enough to chance a shot.
Cardozo, Salvio, Rodrigo, Nicolas Gaitan, all had their moments. It wasn’t even that Chelsea held firm much of the time. Cech made some fine saves, Ashley Cole a good block, but Benfica were wasteful.
They snatched at chances, nervous and wild or over-elaborate.
Chelsea were more controlled, particularly Frank Lampard, who hit the bar in the second half and forced a superb save from Artur just before half time.
And it was Lampard who lifted the trophy — with John Terry in full kit by his side, naturally — as the blue shirts bounced and celebrated, not for one second caring that this was the club with no history and, after Sunday, no manager, which often appears to be fighting itself as much as everyone else.
For put them on a pitch, with a trophy in view and something special happens. Champions of Europe.
They know what they are.
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Mirror:
Chelsea 2-1 Benfica:
Branislav Ivanovic wins Europa League Final with superb stoppage-time header
Blues looked bound for extra time after Cardozo penalty cancelled out Torres opener but defender snatched trophy seconds from time
From Martin Lipton in Amsterdam
A machine. A winning machine. An incredible, infeasible machine.
The model of instability - everything a team, a club, is not supposed to be in the modern era.
But resilient, remarkable, remorseless.
A side that never knows when it is second best, that refuses to submit.
A club that changes manager in panic moves in successive seasons, yet ends both campaigns with a European trophy.
That turns every month, every week, into a soap opera, essential viewing, with fans who pay homage to one manager while finding reasons to condemn the incumbent.
Yet one that wins, wins, and wins again. Finds a way to conquer. A way to claim silverware.
Yes, it took 68 matches this time, spread over eight competitions, in the 12th different country in which they have played since August, to finally land a prize.
Yes, too, Rafa Benitez knew his side had been outplayed for long periods, passed off the park, just as Roberto Di Matteo’s side were in Munich last May.
They relied on the old, familiar Chelsea virtues, the ones imbued by Jose Mourinho, which have stayed embedded under Avram Grant, Luiz Felipe Scolari, Guus Hiddink, Carlo Ancelotti, Andre Villas-Boas, Di Matteo and now Benitez.
Sheer grit, determination and desire, running through the DNA, fostered in every new arrival, characteristics independent of the names of those wearing the Blue shirts.
In the end, though, as Branislav Ivanovic’s header, deep into stoppage time, looped back into the top corner of the Benfica net, to spark another night of Blue heaven, none of that mattered.
There could be no better match-winner than the man left heartbroken when he was suspended for Munich, a player who has bought into everything Chelsea are about.
Here, Chelsea were running on empty, left with their last 11 fit men standing, lacking the skills of Eden Hazard, the leadership of John Terry - both of whom, like the rest, donned their kit for the celebration party.
But somehow, by sheer bloodymindedness, through their unquenchable spirit and resolve, they withstood the early bombardment, the disappointment of throwing away a lead brilliantly given them by Fernando Torres, and stole it at the death.
That is what makes Chelsea special, different.
A club that has no equal in terms of its endless capacity to surprise, Ivanovic leaving the Benfica players slumped in gut-wrenching disbelief.
But, perhaps, they should have known what would happen.
After all, there have been so many victims in the Roman Abramovich era.
Nobody would claim this was a victory for total football.
Benfica, with Chelsea reject Nemanja Matic bossing midfield, Nicolas Gaitan scheming, Oscar Cardozo a constant handful, were superior in every department.
Except the one that matters, lacking the courage of their convictions when they got close enough to see the whites of Petr Cech’s eyes, squandering the opportunities to pull the trigger.
Cardozo, Gaitan and Rodrigo all could have done better in the first half and had keeper Artur not thrown out his left hand to flip a Frank Lampard swerver over the top after initially going the wrong way, Chelsea might have led at the break.
Even so, they began the second half on the back foot as well, Benitez’s lack of options painfully clear, only the hawk-like vision of the linesman ruling out a Cardozo header soon after the restart.
Then, on the hour, out of absolutely nothing, Torres struck in devastating fashion.
Cech’s clearance was not aimed at the Spaniard yet it squeezed through to him, turning to run at and beyond the exposed Luisao, going wide of Artur and then, almost in slow motion, rolling home.
A terrific goal, reminiscent of the old Torres that Benitez educated at Liverpool, the one Chelsea paid £50million to bring to the Bridge but who has rarely been seen since.
Within seven minutes, though, Cesar Azpilicueta’s arm was outstretched to block Eduardo Salvio’s header and despite the protests Cardozo smashed home from the spot.
Now, the game was open.
Torres dived after escaping a Luisao bear-hug, Cech used his fingertips to make a terrific save from Cardozo’s volley and when the crossbar kept out Lampard’s pile-driver extra-time loomed.
This time, though, they did not need the additional 30 minutes, let alone penalties.
They needed just three minutes of stoppage-time, Mata’s corner finding Ivanovic leaping, straining his neck, powering back towards the top corner, Artur leaden-footed and powerless.
There was no way back for Porto. Once again, it was just meant to be. Made in Chelsea.
Petr Cech Will be thankful that Benfica’s finishing was so erratic and made a sensational late save from Cardozo. 7
Cesar Azpilicueta Given all sorts of problems by Benfica’s movement. Made one sensational last-gasp clearance, but his handball gifted Benfica equaliser. 6
Branislav Ivanovic Pick of Chelsea’s under-siege defenders and was a worthy hero as he nicked a last-gasp winner. 7
Gary Cahill Nervous, short of confidence and shaky at back. Well below his usual commanding best, but crucially denied Cardozo at end. 6
Ashley Cole Terrific early block to stop Benfica going ahead, but got runaround like rest of the Chelsea defence. 6
Frank Lampard Swerving shot brilliantly saved by Benfica keeper Artur and smashed a late effort against bar as Chelsea chased winner. 8
David Luiz Handed thankless task of being midfield shield in front of Blues’ overworked defence and did job well. 6
Ramires Defensively poor. Continually showed a lack of discipline, lost his man and was over run in midfield. Brazilian had a disappointing night. 5
Juan Mata Chelsea’s main man this season, but could not find his rhythm. Threatened very rarely going forward. 6
Oscar The Brazilian was booked for pulling Enzo Perez’s shirt. Maybe it was out of frustration as he struggled to impose himself on the game. Improved later. 8
Fernando Torres Ruthless finish after holding off two defenders, rounding keeper and slotting in to fire Chelsea ahead. 6
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Sun:
Benfica 1 Chelsea 2
From SHAUN CUSTIS in Amsterdam
BRANISLAV IVANOVIC was in the headlines when he got bitten by Luis Suarez last month.
Last night he got his teeth into Benfica with a dramatic header in added time to land Chelsea another European trophy.
And how the Serb revelled in his hero status in the Amsterdam ArenA at the end, sat astride the crossbar milking his moment of glory for all it was worth.
Ivanovic missed out on last season’s Champions League success because he was suspended.
But, unlike John Terry, who was also banned from that final, he got the chance to make up for it.
Mind you, who would have known Terry missed either game when you see the celebration photos.
Once more Terry, ruled out this time through injury, was there at the front when the trophy was handed over, in full kit and lifting it aloft with on-field skipper Frank Lampard.
So Rafa Benitez, the man Chelsea fans love to hate, has delivered as he heads for the exit door to make way for The Special One, Jose Mourinho.
He has got Chelsea into the top four and qualification for the Champions League and added the silverware for good measure.
Interim boss Benitez knows his way round the block in Europe having won the UEFA Cup with Valencia in 2004 and the Champions League for Liverpool in 2005.
Now he can leave Stamford Bridge with his head held high, too.
And when he has his last match, against Everton on Sunday, Blues fans should give him a rousing send-off.
It might be too much for them to stomach — but he deserves it.
Chelsea have proved relentless trophy hunters during the Roman Abramovich era no matter how much the billionaire owner has chopped and changed managers.
As keeper Petr Cech said, stability is all very well but what has it given Arsenal in the last eight years?
This was not a great Chelsea performance. In fact it was reminiscent of the way they played against Bayern Munich last year before winning the Champions League on penalties.
They were badly missing the injured Eden Hazard and David Luiz, once a Benfica player, could not get into it, while Oscar and Ramires both struggled at times.
Benfica were all over the Londoners for most of the first half but wasted chances aplenty, while Chelsea looked to be feeling every minute of their 68th game of the season.
They were edgy and scrambling to clear their lines as the ball kept pinging around their penalty area.
Even when they did manage a breakaway, Juan Mata’s attempted pass to Oscar was woeful. Had he found the Brazilian, Oscar would have been in on goal.
Benfica were still on top but were so wasteful within shooting range, as Nicolas Gaitan illustrated when, with time to spare, he fired well over from the edge of the area.
Lampard, of course, is a model of composure when shooting at goal.
He brought Chelsea to life with a viciously swerving effort from 20 yards which sent Artur the wrong way. But the keeper just flicked out his left hand as he went right and diverted it over.
Chelsea fans serenaded their troops with the “Champions of Europe” song at the start of the second half — which they will be for another 10 days.
It was an attempt to remind their team just what they are capable of after what had been a lacklustre opening 45 minutes.
But there was more of the same with full-back Cesar Azpilicueta nipping the ball off Rodrigo’s toe as the Spaniard was about to burst the net.
Then Oscar Cardozo headed in from Gaitan’s cross but was given offside. It was a marginal call But wouldn’t you know it, having been battered for nearly an hour, Chelsea took the lead.
And in ridiculous fashion, too. Cech threw the ball down the middle, Mata missed it and fooled his markers into the bargain.
Fernando Torres collected and shrugged off Luisao before showing great poise to round the keeper and shoot into the net.
The Spanish striker gets plenty of stick, but this was Torres at his best in a competition where he has thrived.
Unfortunately the lead did not last long. Azpilicueta was just inside the box when Salvio’s header hit his flailing left arm and the ref pointed to the spot.
Up stepped Cardozo and lashed in the penalty on 68 minutes.
It was the least Benfica deserved but Torres was almost in again when he wriggled away from Luisao and went down.
The Benfica defender felt Torres had dived and let him know about it. Yes Torres was held, but he made a lot of it and not giving the penalty was the right call.
Cardozo then went close for Benfica with a 20-yard volley which required an excellent tip over from the alert Cech.
But Lampard, now Chelsea’s record goal-scorer, nearly won it himself when he hit the bar with a screamer from 30 yards two minutes from time. Oh what a story that would have been.
Fortunately it did not matter because centre-half Ivanovic was there climbing high to meet Mata’s corner to head in.
DREAM TEAM
SUN STAR MAN — BRANISLAV IVANOVIC (CHELSEA)
Benfica: Artur 7, Almeida 7, Luisao 7, Garay 6, Melgarejo 6, Perez 7, Matic 7, Rodrigo 7, Gaitan 7, Cardozo 8, Salvio 7. Subs: Lima (Rodrigo 65) 7, John (Melgarejo 66) 5, Jardel (Garay 78) 6. Not used: Gomes, Lopes, Aimar, Urreta. Booked: Luisao, Garay.
Chelsea: Cech 7, Azpilicueta 5, Ivanovic 8, Cahill 7, Cole 6, Lampard 8, Luiz 5, Ramires 6, Mata 7, Oscar 7, Torres 7. Subs: Not used: Turnbull, Mikel, Moses, Ferreira, Marin, Benayoun, Ake. Booked: Oscar.
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Express:
Europa League is farewell present for Benitez as Ivanovic is last-gasp Chelsea hero
YOU CAN batter them, outplay them, exhaust them and bewilder them. But one thing you cannot do with Chelsea in European competition is count them out.
By: Tony Banks
Last year in Munich it was a penalty shoot-out win over Bayern capping a dogged defensive display that triumphed against the odds in the Champions League. Last night in Amsterdam it was an added-time goal from Branislav Ivanovic that broke Benfica hearts.
Maybe there is something in the genes of these Chelsea players, something that seeps into them from the moment they join the club. It is a simple, utter determination not to be beaten, not to give up, to keep going right to the bitter end, no matter how much they might be outshone on any patch of turf, anywhere, any time.
If and when Jose Mourinho returns to take over for his second spell as manager in a month or so, that will be a trait he will recognise and welcome. For it was he who drilled that spirit into them from the moment he arrived in 2004. And, in players such Frank Lampard, Petr Cech and Ashley Cole – all survivors from that previous regime – the stubbornness survives and thrives.
Last night in Amsterdam it was an added-time goal from Branislav Ivanovic that broke Benfica hearts
It does not matter who the manager is. Roberto Di Matteo harnessed it last year, and last night in the Amsterdam Arena Rafa Benitez prepared to sign off in his stint as manager by utilising it again, and winning the Europa League.
Fernando Torres had given Chelsea the lead with a quite brilliant solo goal after they had been given a footballing lesson by Benfica. The Portuguese side levelled from the penalty spot nine minutes later after Cesar Azpilicueta handled.
Many teams would have folded at that point, but not Chelsea. Up went Ivanovic in the 93rd minute – and Chelsea, until Saturday week at least and the next Champions League final, now remarkably hold both European trophies. They have now joined an elite group who have at various times held all three European titles – the others being Juventus, Ajax and Bayern Munich.
Fernando TorresFernando Torres calmly opened the scoring after beating the keeper
Last night in Amsterdam it was an added-time goal from Branislav Ivanovic that broke Benfica hearts
And for Benitez, verbally abused by Chelsea fans in the seven months since his arrival because of his Liverpool connections, snubbed and criticised from every side, perhaps at last some vindication. Just days after ensuring that the club will be playing in the Champions League next season, the much-maligned Spaniard has won them the only trophy left available in this topsy-turvy season. No one is sure who writes Chelsea’s scripts, but if he or she is not in Hollywood soon, they should be.
Benfica, such a famous name in European football, have now lost their last seven Continental finals, falling victim yet again to the so-called ‘Hungarian curse’.
Legendary coach Bela Guttmann left the club in 1962 after being refused a bonus for delivering the European Cup and was said to have vowed bitterly that Benfica would never win another European trophy for 100 years. They have not for 51 years.
Benfica, like many other teams taking on Chelsea before them, will have left the pitch scratching their heads at how exactly it all went wrong.
Benitez, with skipper John Terry sidelined by an ankle injury (he still made it to the podium at the end after changing from a suit to his club kit – as UEFA rules dictate – to hoist the trophy) chose Lampard to lead his team, with the 34-year-old about to have his new deal confirmed. But Chelsea were outplayed as, on numerous occasions in the opening period, Benfica got round the back of their panicky defence, and it took some last-ditch scrambling to survive.
Chelsea looked nervous and edgy but suddenly emerged and Lampard cracked in a swerving shot that a surprised Artur brilliantly tipped over.
Benfica’s bright, inventive football continually penned Chelsea back. Oscar Cardozo, constantly dangerous with his close control, headed home but was ruled offside.
Then typically, out of nothing, Chelsea went ahead. Petr Cech, by some way their busiest player until then, found Juan Mata. The Spaniard flicked the ball on under challenge from Ezequiel Garay and suddenly Torres was away. The £50 million man beat Luisao, and as Artur advanced, went round the goalkeeper and stroked the ball home.
Vintage Torres – and what a time to come good. But then Cardozo swung in another cross, and the ball caught Azpilicueta’s flailing arm. Dutch referee Bjorn Kuipers gave the spot-kick and Cardozo rammed it in.
Cech then pulled off a stunning save to foil Cardozo, tipping the Paraguayan’s shot over the bar, but at the other end Lampard struck the angle with a glorious drive with just minutes to go.
Extra-time was looming and it looked like a re-run of Munich. But Ramires won a corner in the third minute of injury time. Juan Mata swung the ball to the far post – and there was Ivanovic, who missed the Champions League final through suspension, climbing to steer his header over Artur and into the far corner.
Two European trophies in two seasons, the 13th trophy of the Roman Abramovich era, the odds defied once more.
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Star:
BRANISLAV IVANOVIC IS BLUES LAST-GASP HERO
By David Woods
UNSUNG hero Branislav Ivanovic was the toast of Stamford Brdge last night as he earned Chelsea a second successive European trophy.
Little was made of Ivanovic missing last season's Champions League Final victory over Bayern Munich.
Instead, all the attention was centred round skipper John Terry, who had to watch from the sidelines because of suspension, like his team-mate.
But Iron Man Ivanovic was a rock in central defence as Benfica battered the Blues - then came up with a stunning winner in the third minute of stoppage-time.
He climbed high above all the red shirts to meet Juan Mata's corner with a looping header which drifted back across goal, over keeper Artur and high into the net.
When the final whistle blew, stunned Ivanovic sank to his knees and was mobbed by his team-mates.
Poor Benfica, who lost their unbeaten league record and probably the Portuguese title to Porto at the weekend, were simply devastated.
Three of their players lay flat out in despair on the pitch while Chelsea went wild. Departing Blues chief Rafa Benitez found the time to console rival manager Jorge Jesus with a hug.
But Ivanovic certainly deserved one from his grateful boss as well.
If ever there was a player who deserved to step out of the shadows it was him.
The 28-year-old Serbian was making his 65th appearance of the season for club and country last night, 58 of them for Chelsea.
Despite this being his eighth goal for the Blues, he has hardly ever found himself in the limelight.
He may have been one of the team's most consistent players, whether at right-back or centre-half, but his biggest headlines came when he was bitten by Liverpool's Luis Suarez at Anfield last month.
It was quite a night for Benitez as well. He is leaving the club, but he's not going quietly and in the space of four days has seen the Chelsea qualify for next season's Champions League with victory at Aston Villa then bag another European trophy.
Amsterdam was damn good for striker Fernando Torres, who rammed that fourletter F-word down his critics' throats.
Striker Torres had been dubbed a flop time and time again, having failed to justify the £50m the Blues paid Liverpool for him in January 2011.
But in the 59th minute we saw a flash of the terrific Torres who became an Anfield legend. It was a throw from keeper Cech which led to the goal. Mata missed it on the halfway line, fooling Ezequiel Garay.
Torres found himself with a clear route to goal and, out-muscling Luisao, had the composure to round keeper Artur and slot into the net from a tight angle.
They might have been stunned after dominating for most of the opening hour, but nine minutes later Benfica were level.
Cesar Azpilicueta handled Eduardo Salvio's header just inside the area and Oscar Cardozo smacked his penalty down the middle, with Cech nowhere near it.
It was looking like a repeat of last year's Champions League Final, which ended 1-1 before Chelsea won a penalty shoot-out.
Ivanovic, though, had other ideas and as Frank Lampard went to collect the trophy with injured Terry - wearing his club shirt - it was just like Munich, but without the penalty drama.
And for Bayern read Benfica as Chelsea again took a battering early on.
The Germans found the thick blue line so tough to breach a year ago. Last night Benfica launched wave after wave of attacks but centre-backs Cahill and Ivanovic stood firm, supported by Ashley Cole and Azpilicueta.
They were also aided by some poor finishing from Benfica, particularly Argentine Nicolas Gaitan. The Blues were close to going ahead in the 38th minute. Lampard took a pot shot from 22 yards and as it moved late in the air, keeper Artur thrust out his left hand to tip it over.
In the second half Cardozo forced Cech into a fine tip over, but his drive was bettered by Lampard in the 88th minute.
He struck Artur's bar with a superb curling drive from over 25 yards and Chelsea looked to have missed their last chance to win the game in normal time.
But up popped Ivan The Terrific to spark a Blues party.
Whatever people might say about Roman Abramovich's Chelsea, they are never dull!
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