Champions League: Football fans rejoice as Mourinho’s parked bus crashes

Chelsea suffer second consecutive home defeat, losing 3-1 to Atletico.

KARACHI:

Neutrals celebrated along with Atletico Madrid fans when Diego Costa stepped up to smash the ball into the top of the net from the penalty spot to score Atletico’s second away goal of the night and virtually ensure a final berth alongside their Madrid rivals.

Jose Mourinho’s ‘anti-football’ garnered a lot of criticism from all quarters after their defeat to Sunderland. Despite positive results against Liverpool and Atletico, the ultra-defensive approach won them no favours.

So when the two teams lined up for the deciding leg after a drab goalless draw at the Vicente Calderon, it was no surprise that underdogs Atletico were being cheered by all but Chelsea fans. The prospect of a first ever derby finale made an Atletico win all the more enticing, and Diego Simeone’s men proved up to the task.

It was fitting that Fernando Torres opened the scoring against his former side and showed his class by refusing to celebrate despite the significance of the goal. Having gotten the lead in the match and in the tie, Mourinho would have looked to shut up shop.

However, some disastrous defending at the back saw the ball somehow make its way to Adrian Lopez after both John Terry and Ashley Cole inexplicably allowed the bouncing ball to run across the face of goal. Despite Adrian scuffing his shot into the ground, the ball made its way into the back of the net as Mark Schwarzer was left stranded. The away goal meant that Atletico were ahead in the tie at the break.

Mourinho knew his team needed to score again and he gambled too early, panicking and making a rash decision to bring on another striker, Samuel Eto’o, instead of Ashley Cole. Cesar Azpilicueta was switched to left-back. Six minutes later, right-footed Azpilicueta, despite having done so well at left-back in the season so far, was caught out of position, allowing a cross in from the right.

The ball fell to Costa who drew the foul from Eto’o and earned a penalty that he duly converted, despite getting a yellow for tampering with the spot before doing so. In the 72nd minute, the makeshift left-back was once again caught out of position. This time the cross was met by the head of Arda Turan, who hit the post but managed to score on the rebound, effectively killing off the tie.

The defeat would hurt Mourinho who has now been knocked out a record six times in the semi-finals of the competition. “One minute in the second half decided everything,” is what Mourinho claimed, but he must ultimately take responsibility of the result, especially considering how his decision to play unfit Terry and Eden Hazard backfired.

A chance to spoil his former employer’s party would have been especially satisfying for him but it is Simeone and Atletico who now stand between their Madrid rival’s La Decima. Ancelotti summed it up when he said, “There are no favourites, it will be a close game.”

Published in The Express Tribune, May 2^nd,  2014.

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