Summary
Chelsea are into the Europa League semi-finals
despite being narrowly beaten in Russia.
An early goal should have made things
comfortable, but a second-half fight back from Rubin made for a harder night's
work than many would have predicted when Fernando Torres put us in front after
four minutes.
An early scare was quickly forgotten once the
Spaniard lifted us into the lead, seemingly putting us out of reach of our
hosts, who took until the last minute of the first half to really stretch Petr
Cech, who was forced to save well from Rubin captain Gokdeniz Karadeniz.
Ivan Marcano then headed level five minutes into
the second half, only for Victor Moses to quickly restore our three-goal
aggregate cushion. That should have been that but Karadeniz was then allowed a
free header to level, before Bebras Natcho converted a penalty after a foul by
Cesar Azpilicueta inside the area.
It made for a potentially nervy final 15 minutes,
but Cech was called into action only once, and we take our place in the last
four, two games away from a trip to Amsterdam for May's final.
Team news
The major headline in Rafael Benitez's selection
was the decision to start Nathan Ake in deep midfield alongside Frank Lampard,
meaning a European debut for the 18-year-old. He had been touted as a potential
stand-in left-back with both Ryan Bertrand and Ashley Cole missing, but that
role was given to the ever dependable Paulo Ferreira, who had featured just
five times previously this season, the last time in February. This was the
sixth competition he had played in this season.
John Terry started his 100thEuropean game for the
Blues, while in making his 421st appearance for the club, Cech drew level with
Steve Clarke as our joint-seventh highest appearance maker of all time.
Torres, impressive at the weekend against
Sunderland, came in for the cup-tied Demba Ba in attack, with support coming
from Ramires on the right, Yossi Benayoun and Moses. Eden Hazard, Juan Mata and
Oscar were all among the substitutes.
First half
An eerie quiet fell over the Luzhniki Stadium
just before kick-off, the few thousand supporters struggling to make themselves
heard in an arena capable of holding many times more the number inside for this
game.
The home fans, you consider, might have burst to
life had Cesar Azpilicueta made a vital block inside the area from Roman
Eremenko's shot goalbound shot after just three minutes, but 60 seconds later
they were silenced by Torres.
Lampard sent a long ball over the top of the
Rubin defence and goalkeeper Sergei Ryzhikov committed himself to getting there
first, but did not allow for the synthetic surface slowing the ball's progress,
and Torres, quicker over 20 yards than his opponents, arrived first to lift it
up and into the empty net from around 30 yards.
Fernando Torres after scoring against Rubin
It was a major blow for the tie, cancelling out
Rubin's away goal and gifting the Blues a three-goal cushion that the Russian
side rarely looked like overturning in a stale first half.
Moses brought a save from Ryzhikov while Natcho
shot wide and Eremenko worked Cech low to his left for the hosts, but
excitement was at a premium.
John Terry in action against Rubin
Just before the break came Rubin's best
opportunity, a floated ball into space behind the defence latched upon by
Karadeniz, but Cech showed why he is among the best around with a fine
outstretched save to his right. Chelsea had one foot in the last four.
Second half
Five minutes after the restart, the hosts gave themselves
a lifeline when Pablo Orbaiz crossed from the right and defender Marcano rose
above Ramires to head home. It was a goal spookily reminiscent of Cristiano
Ronaldo's effort five years earlier in the Champions League final.
Chelsea's next attack saw us restore the lead on
the night. Lampard supplied a pass to Moses on the edge of the area, and the
Nigerian exchanged passes with Ramires before guiding the ball past Ryzhikov
into the far corner to make it 2-1 on the night. Rubin now needed four, with
the Blues boasting an extra away goal.
Victor Moses scores against Rubin
John Mikel Obi replaced Ramires to add an extra
layer of steel, and give the Brazilian a rest, but Rubin quickly equalised once
more, Karadeniz, the smallest player on the pitch, rising highest in the area
to head home a left-wing cross, with Cech unable to beat it out despite getting
hands to it.
Rubin score against Chelsea
Marcano then headed against the outside of the
post as the home side finally applied some sustained pressure, and they were
rewarded with a penalty when Azpilicueta was adjudged to have bundled over
substitute Aleksandr Ryazantsev in the box. Natcho coolly despatched the kick
into the top corner.
Jose Rondon then headed straight at Cech with 10
minutes to go. A goal then would have given Chelsea real trouble, but the
striker's failure to convert signalled the beginning of the end for Rubin, and
they created little else in the remaining time, Chelsea sub Oscar having the
game's final opportunity with a curling effort comfortably saved by Ryzhikov.
Narrowly beaten on the night, Chelsea progress to
the semi-finals regardless. The draw is on Friday morning.
Chelsea (4-1-4-1): Cech; Azpilicueta, Terry (c), David Luiz, Ferreira; Ake; Benayoun (Oscar
76), Lampard (Ivanovic 90+1), Ramires (Mikel 59), Moses; Torres.
Unused substitutes: Turnbull, Mata, Marin,
Hazard.
Goals Torres 4, Moses 55
Booked Oscar 90
Rubin Kazan (4-2-3-1): Ryzhikov; Kuzmin (Kaleshin h-t), Navas, Marcano, Ansaldi; Natcho, Orbaiz
(Dyadyun 65); Karadeniz (c), Eremenko, Kasaev (Ryazantsev 71); Rondon.
Unused substitutes: Arlauskis, Kislyak, Tore,
Sharonov.
Goals Marcano 50, Karadeniz 62, Natcho 74 pen
Booked Marcano 86
Crowd 18,410
Referee Firat Aydinus from Turkey
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