Chelsea Pull Off A Last Minute Win Again

Chelsea Pull Off A Last Minute Win Again

The Europa League semi-final started off slowly with both teams looking to find their feet. There were no actual scoring chances until the 11th minute of the game when Sommer had to fend off a ball sent by none other than Frank Lampard, (who has yet to sign a new contract with the Blues, by the way). His attempt produced a corner which allowed Moses to score. Ivanovic actually missed the ball and Chelsea’s forward was at the right place and at the right time as it hit him in the face and went into the net. The following ten minutes were great for the spectators. Basel managed some good attempts and did their best to find an equalizing goal. They pushed hard and tried to score before half time.

At times it seemed as though the first half was being played by both sides’ wing players. Torres had a chance to score, but failed to execute as he has in his recent Europa League fixtures. Basel dominated what was left of the first half, but failed to score. Chelsea had the last chance but Hazard was blocked by Sommer who was almost excellent on the night.

The second half started with Basel keenly trying to get the equalizer. Stocker hit the post after a quick exchange of passes with Streller. Just a couple of minutes later, Torres also hit the post after a brilliant display of skill by Hazard who passed the ball to the Spaniard. The match could have gone either way over the next 30 minutes or so. There were a couple of chances for both teams but nothing worth talking about. The 87th minute came with a goal for Basel after an awkward decision by the referee that gave the Swiss side a penalty after Azpilicueta’s challenge on Stocker.

There were four minutes of stoppage time that will probably haunt Basel for a great deal of time. First came Terry’s header that was desperately saved by Sommer. Then came the 94th minute. A free kick was awarded and Luiz stepped up to take the shot. He avoided the wall and managed to provide Sommer with what will probably be one of his most unpleasant memories. Basel’s goalkeeper fumbled the ball and cost his team a well-deserved draw as Chelsea secured an invaluable 2-1 away win to take home to Stamford Bridge.