Chelsea Bermain Imbang 1-1 Hadapi Schalke
Huntelaar Cancels Out Fabregas First Goal for Chelsea in Champions League
Editor : Ismail Gani
Translator : Novita Cahyadi
London (B2B) - Sempat unggul lebih dulu berkat gol Fabregas menit 11, Schalke berhasil menyamakan kedudukan Chelsea 1-1 berkat gol Huntellar menit 62, di laga Grup G Liga Champions, Kamis, (18/9), dini hari WIB.
Diego Costa yang tampil impresif bersama Chelsea di Liga Inggris dengan tujuh gol di empat petandingannya tidak diturunkan oleh Jose Mourinho. Menurut goal.com itu karena Chelsea akan menjalani laga penting di Liga Inggris melawan Manchester City. Sebagai gantinya, Mourinho memasang Drogba.
Tetapi gol Chelsea malah datang dari mantan pemain Barcelona, Cesc Fabregas, seperti dilansir uefa.com.
Setelah 11 menit mendominasi, Chelsea memimpin. Fabregas melewati Meyer di tengah yang kemudian berlari ke kotak pinalti Schalke ketika dia kembali mendapat bola dari Hazard sebelum bola melewati kiper Fahrmann.
Hazard hampir menggandakan keunggulan, tetapi tendangannya melebar.
Menit 38, Fabregas hampir menggandakan kedudukan. Pemain Spanyol ini bekerja sama dengan Ivanovic di kanan, tetapi tendangannya melebar.
Kesempatan terbaik Schalke datang dari Draxler. Dia berlari ke jantung pertahanan Chelsea, tetapi tendangannya masih melebar. Hingga pluit babak pertama dibunyikan, Chelsea sementara unggul 1-0.
Babak kedua Chelsea kembali menekan dengan Willian bergerak di kanan, dan beberapa kali membahayakan area pinalti Schalke.
Fabregas mencoba memberi umpan Hazard di tengah setelah bermain satu-dua dengan Drogba. Kemudian pemain Belgia itu menendang bola di luar kotak pinalti, tetapi tendangannya masih melebar.
Keasikan menyerang, Schalke berhasil menyamakan kedudukan. Berawal dari kesalahan Fabregas yang kehilangan bola dan direbut Dexler. Kemudian dia mengirimkan bola ke Huntellar dan berhasil memperdaya kiper Courtois.
Seketika Stamford Bridge menjadi hening dan Schalke terlihat makin percaya diri.
Bermain imbang membuat Mourinho memasukan Costa dan menarik Drogba. Willian juga ditarik dan digantikan Remy. Namun, hingga pluit babak kedua berbunyi, skor tetap imbang 1-1.
Chelsea menguasai pertandingan 52 persen, sementara Schalke 48 persen. Dengan tendangan ke arah gawang tujuh untuk Chelsea, sedangkan lima untuk Schalke.
London - FC Schalke 04 made light of their injury problems by striking back to frustrate Chelsea FC who had been given an early lead through Cesc Fàbregas in their Group G opener.
The inclusion of Didier Drogba – described by the pitchside announcer as "Champion of Champions" for his UEFA Champions League winning exploits with the decisive spot kick in the 2012 final – was loudly cheered by the home fans even though it meant their new hero Diego Costa starting the night on the bench.
Against a Schalke team beaten 3-0 home and away by Chelsea in last season´s group stage and who were forced to leave eight players on the sidelines, the home chances began stacking up early on, Ramires scuffing his effort when granted a good sight of goal.
No matter – by the 11th minute the home side were ahead. First Fàbregas won the ball back with a robust challenge and then made an intelligent move around Eden Hazard before receiving the pass and blasting a shot through Ralf Fährmann´s dive.
Hazard threatened to deliver an immediate second goal and all seemed set fair for Chelsea even though Schalke were not giving up the ghost so early, Gary Cahill well positioned to block Huntelaar´s drive.
Filipe Luís, another Chelsea summer recruit from Club Atlético de Madrid, was also starting for the first time and his quality was underlined with two delicious left-wing deliveries. The first should have seen Drogba crown his return but the header was straight at the goalkeeper. Then Branislav IvanoviÄ� was unable to direct another immaculate cross on target before Fàbregas lofted the ball high into the stand when unchallenged near the penalty spot.
So Chelsea went into the break just the one goal to the good and that should have been wiped out when the dancing feet of Julian Draxler took him beyond three defenders, only to poke wide. Drogba came close again at the beginning of the second half and that proved decisive as Schalke struck back in the 62nd minute with a thrilling breakaway goal.
Fàbregas was robbed deep in the opposition half and away went Draxler at pace. He fed Huntelaar who delivered his shot inside Thibaut Courtois´ right-hand post to earn the visitors a valuable point.
