Showing posts with label Petr Cech. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Petr Cech. Show all posts
Cristiano Ronaldo scored his third goal of Euro 2012 to give Portugal a merited 1-0 win over a sterile Czech Republic side who paid the price for parking the bus in their quarter-final at Warsaw's Stadion Narodowy.
The Real Madrid forward followed on from scoring twice in a 2-1 win over the Netherlands in the group stages by arriving late in the box to head into the ground and over goalkeeper Petr Cech from Joao Moutinho's cross on 79 minutes. He has now netted 10 goals from qualifying and these finals in dragging his country to the last four.
The result was never really in doubt against a Czech side who somehow won Group A, but failed to manage a shot on goal all night and seemed paralysed without injured Arsenal midfielder Tomas Rosicky in their ranks.
Portugal - unchanged from their three matches in finishing second behind Germany in Group B - will face world and European champions Spain or France for a place in the final. They must have a real chance to claim the trophy with Ronaldo hungry, elusive and suddenly replicating the level of form that he brings to Spanish La Liga winners Real.
Czech manager Michal Bílek vowed to be defensive to avoid a repeat of the 4-1 mauling they received from Russia in the opening game of the tournament, but nobody could have imagined they would be so negative.
Portugal could easily have won by three or four goals, but only a combination of sloppy finishing and agile goalkeeping by Cech kept the Czechs in the match until late in the contest.
Portugal came up with 20 efforts at goal with Ronaldo twice hitting the post before he scored. He turned and buried a shot against Cech's left-hand upright late in the first period while another free-kick from 30 yards was sent spitting beyond Cech only to brush the outside of a post.
The longer this mismatch staggered on, more chances fell around the Czech Republic goal. Bilek's men were either unable or unwilling to lay a glove on their opponents, who were well served by Nani and the busy Moutinho as they camped out in the opposition half in the second period.
Ronaldo saw an overhead kick fly wide on 30 minutes before substitute Hugo Almeida headed over a couple of minutes after half-time to illustrate how the second half was going to work out for the Czechs.
Cech made fine stops from Nani and Moutinho with less than 30 minutes left with Nani seeing a shot deflect over the bar. Almeida also had the ball in the net, but was deemed to be offside while he headed over again from close range to suggest his arrival to replace the injured Helder Postiga was not a roaring success. Postiga may be finished for the finals having been forced off with a hamstring strain.
For the record, Joao Pereira had a shot at goal nudged wide by Cech with eight minutes left, but Portugal were convincing winners with their one goal.
Ronaldo has now scored six goals at Euro finals, the joint-most of any Portuguese player, along with Nuno Gomes. Watched by former Portuguese greats Eusebio and Luis Figo, Ronaldo can take his place as one of the game's most feted players if he can inspire Portugal to carry off the tournament.
He seems to be on the right path.
Premier League leaders Manchester City surrendered their unbeaten record at Stamford Bridge as Frank Lampard came off the bench to score a late penalty and secure a 2-1 win for Chelsea.
City, without so much as a goal in eight of their past nine trips to this corner of West London, started in spectacular fashion when Mario Balotelli rounded Petr Cech to put Roberto Mancini's side into the lead.
Inside 15 minutes they should have had the chance to make it 2-0 but Jose Boswinga's trip on David Silva in the penalty area went unpunished by Mark Clattenburg. Having enjoyed some good fortune, Chelsea then set about securing a third consecutive win in all competitions through their own perspiration.
Raul Meireles drew his side level with a fine volleyed finish after 34 minutes and the under scrutiny Andre Villas-Boas was given further reason to celebrate when Gael Clichy was shown a second yellow card and dismissed on 58 minutes.
As City removed Silva for Nigel de Jong in a bid to cling on for a point, it was Chelsea who snatched a winner when Joleon Lescott was penalised for handball and substitute Lampard struck the winner from 12 yards.
The victory sees Chelsea move into third place above Arsenal and Tottenham and seven points behind leaders City, who have seen their lead over Manchester United cut to two.
Even if Villas-Boas had attracted intense scrutiny on himself with his complaints about Alan Pardew, Gary Neville and the media's treatment of his club in recent days, back-to-back 3-0 wins over Newcastle United and Valencia had somewhat dispelled concerns about the porous nature of his defence.
Implementing a deeper defensive line helped to address Chelsea's vulnerability but at Stamford Bridge they were opened up within two minutes by a City side that had made the best ever start to a Premier League season by dropping only four points in their opening 14 games.
Sergio Aguero created the opening as he did superbly well to hold on to the ball on the right wing before slipping a magnificent pass into Balotelli. The Italian accelerated away from the inattentive Branislav Ivanovic, took a touch around Cech and rolled the ball home before indulging in an typically arrogant celebration after claiming his eighth goal in his last 10 appearances in the league.
City were enthused by the excellent start and dominated Chelsea with their superior short passing. On one break Aguero showed good strength to hold off Bosingwa, duck inside Ashley Cole and fire a ferocious shot just wide of the post.
Chelsea found themselves under intense pressure and were very fortunate not to concede a penalty after 15 minutes. Balotelli shifted a square pass to David Silva and the Spaniard let the ball roll across his body before being caught by Bosingwa and going to ground. Referee Clattenburg told Silva to get to his feet but also neglected to show a yellow card, presumably indicating he believed some contact was made.
Having been so close to going 2-0 down at home, Chelsea responded and, after Drogba had seen one low effort tipped round the post by Joe Hart, the Blues levelled the scores.
Terry found Daniel Sturridge with a glorious long pass to the right and after taking control the former City trainee jinked one way and then the other to lose Clichy, before dinking in a cross that found Meireles. The Portuguese midfielder volleyed home firmly from eight yards.
Meireles pushed his luck when being booked for a horrible challenge on Pablo Zabaleta and then colliding with Yaya Toure, while the City midfielder had his own on-running and petty battle with Juan Mata as he kicked and then slapped the Spaniard. However, it remained level, and 11-a-side, heading into the break.
Numerical equality was surrendered on 58 minutes though when Clichy was shown his first career red card in 198 Premier League games. Having brought down Sturridge with a clumsy challenge at the start of the second half, he then stuck out a leg to bring down Ramires in full flight and was rightly ordered off the pitch by Clattenburg.
City were suddenly looking ragged, with Vincent Kompany risking a second booking with a clumsy challenge on the increasingly sprightly Mata, and Toure again escaping punishment when attempting to rake his boot down the back of Ramires's leg.
Chelsea enjoyed the greater weight of chances, no more so than when Sturridge expertly chested down a free-kick from the right before thumping his effort over the bar. As the match progressed, Kompany and Lescott were being called upon to repel a constant barrage of crosses.
Mancini responded to Chelsea's pressure by removing the refined talent of Silva and introducing the rather more unreconstructed De Jong in an effort to protect a point, and with it their unbeaten record in the Premier League.
However, the change backfired and on 82 minutes Chelsea were awarded a penalty when Lescott was adjudged to have handled from a Sturridge shot. There appeared to be little intent on the part of the City defender but equally he had the intent to needlessly raise his arms in the box.
Lampard, ushered on as a substitute, hammered the ball down the middle of the goal from 12 yards to spark frenzied celebrations amongst the home players.
City responded by introducing Edin Dzeko for Lescott with four minutes remaining but Mancini could not reverse the tide as his side suffered their first Premier League defeat of the season and left the title race ever so slightly more open.
Fulham passed up a glorious opportunity to beat Chelsea in the Premier League as a missed penalty in stoppage time resulted in a goalless draw at Craven Cottage.
When the otherwise impeccable debutant David Luiz brought down Clint Dempsey in the third minute of time added on, it appeared Fulham would snatch an unlikely victory against their rivals from down the road.
But the American's spot kick was saved by Petr Cech and both sides had to settle for a point in a match that Chelsea bossed in terms of possession but, with Fernando Torres again toiling up front, they struggled to find a way through a resolute Fulham back line.
The result sees Chelsea stay in fifth, now two points behind Tottenham, who occupy the fourth Champions League spot. Fulham remain 12th.
Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti opted to drop Didier Drogba to the bench to accommodate £50 million man Torres, who was supported from wide areas by Nicolas Anelka and the recalled Florent Malouda.
The long-term ramifications of that decision are not as yet known, but the Ivorian is not one to settle for a bit part role and a summer transfer saga could now be on the horizon.
On the day, Ancelotti's choice backfired and Torres, clearly bereft of confidence, looked a long distance away from justifying that hefty price tag.
Playing up front on his own until he was withdrawn with just under 20 minutes remaining, he was well marshalled by the Fulham duo of Aaron Hughes and Brede Hangeland and often cut an isolated figure.
Just twice in the first half did he have a sniff of goal, both late on; at the first attempt indecision let him down and for the second his touch deserted him at the crucial moment.
Otherwise, Chelsea had little to write home about during an opening period that failed to produce much noteworthy action at either end.
Just a Damien Duff shot that Petr Cech found too hot to handle on 24 minutes and a mis-hit Branislav Ivanovic cross that tested Mark Schwarzer at the other end were worthy of pricking the neutral's interest.
Chelsea started the second half in much more attacking mood - although Torres was unable to benefit from the improved service. The Spain international fired off target before heading over the bar soon after the restart.
With Fulham happy to sit in their own half after the break, Chelsea enjoyed far more possession but they were unable to convert that into anything more meaningful.
Malouda fired wide while Michael Essien should perhaps have done better with a header that glanced off his forehead and wide of the far post as chances came, but were not taken.
The introduction of Drogba in place of Torres on 71 minutes should have given Chelsea more of a cutting edge, but even the Ivorian could not find a way through. A run to the by-line and a dangerous cross that failed to find a team-mate was the best he could muster.
As time ran out, Fulham became ever more dangerous on the break, with Dempsey in particular finally beginning to cause a few problems. The American had already forced Cech to beat away a fierce drive with seven minutes left before he was handed a golden opportunity to extend Fulham's impressive winning streak at home.
But his penalty was poor, Cech made a crucial save and Fulham's fourth straight home win in the Premier League failed to materialise.
Premier League leaders Chelsea came from behind to beat Blackburn 2-1 in a pulsating encounter at Ewood Park, Branislav Ivanovic's late header the difference between the sides.
Benjani headed Rovers in front in the 21st minute to stun the visitors but six minutes before the break Carlo Ancelotti's side were back level thanks to Nicolas Anelka's close-range finish.
Both sides traded chances in a second half full of energy and endeavour, but it was Chelsea who were the more clinical as a galling miss from substitute Jason Roberts was immediately followed by a fine finish from Ivanovic six minutes from time.
A minute's silence was impeccably observed in remembrance of former England and Blackburn Rovers captain Ronnie Clayton, who died earlier this week at the age of 76, and a vociferous atmosphere followed it at kick-off.
Rovers boss Sam Allardyce welcomed back Christopher Samba and Ryan Nelsen in defence, while Alex returned for the visitors after missing the win over Wolves with a thigh strain and Ivanovic was preferred to Jose Bosingwa at right-back.
Chelsea began the game the brighter, and the visitors could have been in front inside seven minutes had an unmarked Didier Drogba not mistimed his leap after a sublime delivery was whipped over by Ivanovic from out on the right.
Two minutes later Blackburn had a golden opportunity to net the opener: Brett Emerton raced clear beyond Alex, but the Australian lacked conviction and dallied on the ball to allow the defender to make a timely intervention.
Petr Cech then came into his own with two stunning saves in as many minutes. The first of them spared the goalkeeper's blushes after he slipped before managing to tip Mame Diouf's tantalising effort wide. The 28-year-old followed that with a fine reflex block to deny Benjani after the forward had hurtled through on goal.
Chelsea had gone 301 minutes without conceding a Premier League goal when they failed to clear a corner and El-Hadji Diouf dinked a delightful delivery back into the box for Benjani to rise and beat Cech with a precise header.
Gael Givet sustained an ankle injury following a clash with Drogba midway through the first half, and his replacement Martin Olsson was partly culpable for Chelsea's equaliser in the 39th minute. The visitors produced a sweeping move as a long ball from Cech was taken down by Malouda, whose raking diagonal pass was headed into the path of Anelka by Drogba - and the Frenchman duly finished with aplomb from 12 yards.
The injured Benjani was replaced by Roberts at the break. A very scrappy opening to the second half followed as both sides failed to settle into their rhythm.
Fabio Capello sat alongside Blackburn chairman John Williams for the second half, and the England boss would have been more impressed with Phil Jones's robust challenges in midfield than the fluidity of either side's play.
But Chelsea sprung into action on the hour mark as Michael Essien found Yuri Zhirkov, who hurtled into the Blackburn box from the left and fired a low, fizzing shot towards the near corner of the net only for Paul Robinson to parry the ball wide superbly.
Two minutes later Mame Diouf inexplicably failed to turn the ball into the net at the back post as the midfielder latched on to Morten Gamst Pedersen's exquisite delivery from the left - deflecting the ball wide with Cech stranded.
Ancelotti introduced Daniel Sturridge at the expense of Malouda late on, but it was at the other end that the best chance fell late on: Mame Diouf picked out Roberts with an unerring delivery, but somehow the forward fired wide with just Cech to beat.
Chelsea made Roberts and Blackburn pay for such profligacy as Ivanovic ghosted in at the back post to head past Robinson from Zhirkov's dinked delivery out on the left, and the finish was clinical.
The three points see Ancelotti's side assume a five-point cushion at the top of the Premier League table, as Arsenal moved second with a win while Manchester City lost to Wolves.
Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech is fit to return for Wednesday's Premier League game at bottom club Portsmouth but defender Branislav Ivanovic will be sidelined for a month.
Manager Carlo Ancelotti also said Ashley Cole was back in light training after breaking his left ankle at Everton at the start of February and he expected the England defender to return to the first team before the end of the season.
Czech Republic keeper Cech has been out since he was carried off on a stretcher with a calf injury in the Champions League last-16 first leg match at Internazionale on February 24.
Third-choice keeper Ross Turnbull, who has played the last three games, will drop to the bench against Portsmouth. Ancelotti also said he expected second-choice Henrique Hilario to be fit again for Saturday's home game against Aston Villa.
Serbia defender Ivanovic, who has played at full-back for most of the season, limped off with knee ligament damage midway through Sunday's 1-1 draw at Blackburn Rovers.
"Ivanovic is an important player for us," Ancelotti said.
"He is out for one month but we hope to recover him before this period.
"Fortunately we have Yuri Zhirkov recovered so we can put Paulo Ferreira at right-back and Zhirkov at left-back."
Chelsea, who have 65 points from 30 matches, have a game in hand on Manchester United and can move within one point of the Premier League leaders by winning on Wednesday.
"The mood was not good after the Blackburn game because when we don't win we are disappointed," said Ancelotti, who believes a points tally of 86 will win the title.
"But we have a possibility to come back (strong) tomorrow."
