Football: Di Matteo praises sensational Chelsea

Seal 5-4 aggregate win to make it to Champions League quarters.

LONDON:

Chelsea interim manager Roberto Di Matteo believes his team’s nail-biting Champions League victory over Napoli can inspire the club to a successful season finale.

The Premier League giants confounded the bookmakers as well as the weight of history as they overturned a 3-1 first leg deficit with a pulsating 4-1 win over the Italians at Stamford Bridge.

Branislav Ivanovic’s dramatic extra-time winner sealed a 5-4 aggregate victory for Chelsea, who are facing an uphill battle to qualify for next season’s Champions League after a patchy league campaign.

It was only the fourth time in Champions League history that a club has successfully come back from a two-goal first leg deficit.

Di Matteo, who has now won three games out of three since taking over following the sacking of Andre Villas-Boas, believes Chelsea’s win can lift his side over the vital final few weeks of the season.

“It meant a lot that we’re still able to play in the Champions League,” said Di Matteo. “You could see how much it meant to the players. They showed passion and showed that they cared about the team, club and the supporters

“I’ve had some great nights but I think this will go down in the club’s history.”

Chelsea’s victory owed everything to the influence of the club’s old guard, with Didier Drogba, captain John Terry and Frank Lampard all scoring the goals in 90 minutes that set up the extra-time finale.

Meanwhile, nine-time winners Real Madrid beat CSKA Moscow 4-1 in the second leg of their last 16 tie for a 5-2 aggregate win to make it to the last-eight.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 16^th, 2012.