Chelsea vs Benfica

Summary
A stark contrast to the Napoli away game as Chelsea matched the home side, defended well and snatched victory thanks to a second-half Salomon Kalou goal.
Benfica had chances, mostly for Oscar Cardoza, and Petr Cech had to save one well. We also survived a strong penalty appeal for handball by John Terry but we were rarely clinging on and could have scored more. Juan Mata hit the post and went close again late on in a second half that was far more eventful than the first.
Unlike our previous away games in this Champions League campaign, on this occasion one goal was enough as Chelsea win for the first time abroad in 13 months.
Team news
There was a surprise selection at right-back where Paulo Ferreira was given his first action of 2012. Branislav Ivanovic was not fit and Jose Bosingwa was on the bench. David Luiz replaced Gary Cahill in the centre.
John Obi Mikel and Raul Meireles were the deeper midfielders. Kalou came in wide on the left and Fernando Torres was preferred to Didier Drogba in attack.
Benfica made one change from their last Champions League outing, Pablo Aimar replacing Rodrigo as Oscar Cardozo's partner up front.

First half
Prior to kick-off, David Luiz and Ramires went together to embrace their former manager Jorge Jesus and the Chelsea line-up was not short of players experienced in playing is this stadium, either for or against Benfica. What followed were 45 minutes of football during which the visiting side were pretty comfortable, if short of much goal threat ourselves.
There was danger in the fourth minute with the ball bouncing inside the Chelsea six-yard box and Ferreira not able to reach to clear, but it went wide of Cech's far post.

That moment apart however, it was a safe opening from the Blues who managed to pressure their red-shirted opponents into a few errors in midfield. David Luiz on 11 minutes spotted a gap and advanced before hitting a grasscutter wide of the Benfica goal.
On 14 minutes, Ramires clearly showed he had the legs on the Lisbon side's left-back Emerson, sprinting past to help Torres win a corner that keeper Artur punched away limply.

On 17 minutes, Meireles was booked for tripping the flying Gaitan inside the centre-circle and Chelsea failed to mark up properly as the free-kick was taken quickly, but fortunately Cardozo put a chance wide. It would prove to be their best opportunity of the half.
The next shot was by Torres, taking a David Luiz pass on his chest and then hitting the ball on the turn before it bounced. An ambitious attempt, it was well off-target.

Benfica midfielder Bruno Cesar was booked for a foul on the advanced Ferreira before there was another chance for Cardozo, a tougher one this time. He was marked by Terry as he headed a cross over. The tricky Aimar had cleverly drawn Mikel and Ramires towards him to make the space for the move.
Benfica were pressing high up the pitch and were beginning to take control. Bruno Cesar fancied his chances from distance but struck his shot straight at Cech.
On 38 minutes Chelsea made an overdue visit to the Benfica penalty area and Torres did well to surge past his initial marker but when he turned back on his left-foot, his shot flew several yards over.
Two minutes later Kalou teed up Meireles for our first shot on-target. Well-struck and swinging away, Artur had to dive to push it away.
Second half
No doubt conscious they had to make home advantage count, Benfica came out for the second-half with a vigour previously lacking. A throw into the Chelsea area wasn't headed far out by Meireles and Cardozo smacked a shot at the Chelsea goal that fortuitously hit David Luiz, back on the goal line. A foot either side of him and the Brazilian wouldn't have had time to react.
The Portuguese side kept the pressure on. Bruno Cesar struck another shot straight at Cech.
There was respite when Kalou went on a run and won a free-kick and then shortly after he nipped in front of his marker but headed a Torres cross over.
The placid first half was quickly becoming forgotten as the contest sprang to life. John Terry had been outstanding in dealing with Benfica's crosses and high balls towards Cardozo but he escaped unpunished on the hour when the ball hit his arm away from his body inside the penalty area, immediately after Cole had acrobatically blocked a shot.
The indignant Benfica would have been even more outraged had Mata scored moments later but instead the Spaniard struck woodwork. The angle had been very tight after the ball ran wide, Mata having beaten the out-rushing keeper to it, but it was still most definitely a chance.
So was Jardel's on 66 minutes when the defender looked certain to score, meeting a diagonal cross at the far post but Cech doing brilliantly to push it away. Chelsea broke and it took a foul from Luisao to stop Ramires at the cost of a yellow card.
It was time for a Chelsea change, Lampard a 67th minute substitute for Meireles who as a former Porto man received an ear-splitting whistling from the home support. Benfica made two changes including introducing former Chelsea midfielder Nemanja Matic.
The Benfica fans were whistling again when Terry just about diverted a dangerous-looking pass with an outstretched foot but despite Cech picking it up, no back pass was the Italian ref's verdict.
Ramires had been among the pick of the Chelsea players and he played his part in the winning goal, taking a painful whack in the process as he played Torres in down the right. The centre-forward again showed his goal-making prowess by picking out Kalou among defenders for a close-range first-time finish.

The Blues could have added a second on the breakaway when substitute Sturrridge charged forward and found Mata but his attempted chip was too high. Before that, Benfica sub Nolito had shot over.

There was still work to do for Chelsea inside stoppage time before the win was secure and as the ball was hammered threatingly into the danger zone, Cole was once again airborne to send it the right side of the post and ease the tension.
Prior to the end, Chelsea's goalkeeping coach was sent down the tunnel by the officials for a touchline misdemeanour, but that was certainly not going to spoil our night.

Chelsea Signs with Bank Negara Indonesia

Chelsea Football Club is delighted to announce a new partnership with Bank Negara (BNI), one of Indonesia's largest banks.
This is the first time we have partnered with a bank in Asia and represents an exciting new development in the continued growth of Chelsea's huge popularity across Asia.
The partnership will see co-branded payment cards become available to BNI customers within Indonesia, with benefits including the opportunity to watch Chelsea matches at Stamford Bridge and the possibility of winning official club merchandise including signed shirts.
Chelsea chief executive Ron Gourlay said: 'We are delighted to form this relationship with Bank Negara. BNI is a strong organisation and the right company with which to establish the club's first commercial partnership in Indonesia.
'We are sure that the many Chelsea fans who live in Indonesia will be keen to show their support by applying for Chelsea-branded payment cards. In turn, they will gain access to the many exclusive club-related benefits available to BNI/Chelsea FC cardholders. We look forward to a long and mutually beneficial relationship with BNI in this key market.'
Gatot M Suwondo, chief executive of BNI, was at Stamford Bridge to sign the partnership on Friday afternoon, and explained this four-year deal with one of the world's greatest football clubs will strengthen BNI's positioning as a lifetime banking partner to its customers.
This is the latest development in Chelsea's growth in the Asian market, following on from our 2011 Here to Play, Here to Stay tour which saw the team play games in Malaysia, Thailand and Hong Kong and the club launch a series of innovative Blue Pitches (Soccer Schools).
The club is also launching an Indonesian language website in May 2012, to sit alongside our Chinese, Thai, and Korean sites.
Co-branding will provide BNI with the opportunity to add to its existing 1.7 million credit card users and more than 10 million debit card users, and provide an alternative method of introducing BNI's prepaid cards business to the people of Indonesia.

Chelsea Won a Hard Match against Napoli

Team news
It was a new formation selected by Robbie Di Matteo, a 4-4-1-1 as Chelsea went for solidity with Juan Mata playing behind lone striker Didier Drogba.

David Luiz returned to central defence with Gary Cahill making way. In midfield Michael Essien replaced John Mikel Obi and Frank Lampard dropped back from his advanced role against Stoke, with Raul Meireles suspended. Daniel Sturridge took the place of Salomon Kalou but played on the right flank with Ramires unusually on the left.

Napoli were unchanged from the first leg.

First half
Although Chelsea dominated possession at the very start, the game soon settled into the predicted pattern - the home team probing away in front of a well-manned opposition defence but then stretched from time to time by the rapid Napoli attacking play.

Lampard challenged Edinson Cavani hard in the opening seconds but conceded a free-kick on that occasion and Terry sent a header well off-target from a Chelsea free-kick, taken by Mata. The first proper effort was by Sturridge, a shot along the deck that the keeper scrambled past the post.

On nine minutes Napoli for the first time caused trouble for Chelsea, a Hamsik shot deflecting off Terry and needing Cech to quickly shift his weight and save with his legs. Three minutes later the Neapolitan side unleashed just the type of counter-attack that had hurt Chelsea in the first game - Maggio charging into space on the right and firing low to the far post where on this occasion, Cavani shot wide.

It was worrying times for the Blues and Cech was soon asked to save again, this time from Ezquiel Lavezzi after a very good pass had beaten the offside call.

The coveted early goal for Chelsea hadn't come. Midway through the half Ramires did well to take a Mata pass and spin into the area but the reputedly suspect Napoli rearguard was defending well.

It was hard to spot where a Chelsea breakthrough could come from but then Ramires was given the ball out by the left touchline and worked it onto his right foot for a cross. It was perfect for Drogba to head down into the bottom of the Shed End net. We were ahead on the night with 27 minutes played.

We could have been ahead in the tie just a minute later had Hugo Campagnaro not reached the ball just in front of Drogba who looked certain to tap in a Sturridge cross.

The Napoli threat remained and Cavani dragged a shot wide after Inler had sent him clear to the frustration of the Napoli fans, but then Sturridge headed not too far wide at the other end.

There was a forced change for the Italian side 10 minutes before the break. Right wing-back Christian Maggio, so lively in the first leg, had not recovered from an early challenge from Ramires whose selection on that wing might have been to use his running against the Italian international. Maggio was replaced by former Liverpool man Andres Dossena.

Lampard was the first player cautioned, for a 42nd minute foul on Zuniga. It was a stop-start, whistled-filled end to the opening period. In stoppage time David Luiz hammered the ball into the six-yard box and Cannavaro stretched to cut it out, very much running the risk of an own goal in the process.

Second half
The half was barely a minute old when Cannavaro carelessly headed over his own goal to give Chelsea a corner to cue up a time-honoured combination. Lampard placed his set-piece delivery towards the near-post area where Terry was running towards and the skipper flicked the perfect header over De Sanctis and in.

Chelsea v Napoli

Napoli had conceded a third of the goals against them this season from headers and it was proving their Achilles heel tonight. Now they had to score.

Cannavaro was booked for a foul on Lampard but the Napoli response was good as Chelsea were soon asked to do plenty of work back in our own area. We conceded an away goal on 54 minutes when Terry initially headed clear a cross but Inler controlled the ball on his chest and sweetly struck it into Cech's net from the edge of the area. Now Chelsea needed a goal.

Just prior to Napoli scoring, Di Matteo had been about to bring on Jose Bosingwa, possibly to play on the wing rather than at full-back, but that moment had passed. Instead Torres entered the action with just over an hour played.

The Spaniard was soon foraging hard inside the Napoli area and the ball broke to Ivanovic who smashed a shot that the keeper hurriedly blocked. Then after another Chelsea corner, Drogba battled, spun and unleashed a volley that needed the save of the game from De Sanctis to keep it out of the net.

Dossena was booked on 67 minutes for catching Essien on the thigh before Zuniga came off the flank to force another save from Cech. Some of the Chelsea defending was by now falling into the last-ditch category.

At the other end the corners kept coming, each one bringing hope, and there was a scramble after a sliced Napoli clearance when Drogba had headed on.

The Blues kept the pressure on and Napoli cracked, Dossena clearly handling an Ivanovic header and on this occasion it was spotted by a Champions League ref - Felix Brych from Germany pointing to the spot.

Chelsea v Napoli

Lampard smashed the penalty in to make the scores level on aggregate with 74 minutes played.

The challenges from both sides strengthened. It was a night of blood and thunder, thrills and spills. The Stamford Bridge crowd responded.

With 86 minutes played, David Luiz did well to juggle the ball away from a lurking Cavani and moments later Walter Gargano launched an ambitious effort onto the roof of the Chelsea net. Before the 90 minutes were up, Drogba was wanting a penalty after he and Aronica tangled but this time the ref wasn't interested. Another 30 minutes was to be played.

Chelsea v Napoli

Extra time first half
The Chelsea threat in the air continued on unchecked - Ivanovic this time heading a corner a yard wide, but then Napoli counter-punched with a fierce Hamsik volley that went equally close.

Malouda was the second Chelsea substitute introduced, replacing Mata four minutes into extra time with Bosingwa on three minutes later, a forced change due to a Terry injury. Rather than bring Cahill on, Ivanovic moved into central defence. Moments before that switch, Cole had been shown a yellow card for fouling Campagnaro.

De Sanctis in the Napoli goal had done well on the night but completely misjudged a long punt forward by Drogba, running underneath it to allow Torres in behind him, but the angle was always against the Spaniard finding the target.

A minute before the interval Chelsea did go ahead - Drogba the craftsman and Ivanovic applying the gleaming finish. In a tight space, the Ivorian wriggled clear enough to cross low and the Serbian turned it in first time from 12 yards out.

Extra time second half
Ahead on aggregate, now Chelsea could play on the counter-attack and Torres made De Sanctis sprawl to save his long-range shot after Ramires had broken forward.

It was desperate times for the Italian side and Inler and Campagnaro were both booked. One goal for them would turn the tie from a Chelsea win to a Napoli one however, and football doesn't get any more tense than that.

We could have made it safe with less than a minute left on the clock after Malouda nicked possession high up the pitch and fed Drogba but he volleyed wide. But the four goals proved to be enough. It was time for 'One Step Beyond' as Chelsea took another step forward.

Chelsea won 4-1 against Napoli, the aggregate is 5-4. Chelsea won aggregate even they lose against Napoli at first leg 3-1. Chelsea go to the big eight and went against Benfica. Chelsea is the last representative of England Club and Benfica is the last representative of Portugal Club

Chelsea Records

Chelsea's highest appearance-maker is ex-captain Ron Harris, who played in 795 first-class games for the club between 1961 and 1980. This record is unlikely to be broken in the near future; Chelsea's current highest appearance-maker is Frank Lampard with 536. The record for a Chelsea goalkeeper is held by Harris's contemporary,Peter Bonetti, who made 729 appearances (1959–79). With 90 caps (88 while at the club), Frank Lampard of England is Chelsea's most capped international player.

Bobby Tambling is Chelsea's all-time top goalscorer, with 202 goals in 370 games (1959–70). Eight other players have also scored over 100 goals for Chelsea: George Hilsdon (1906–12), George Mills (1929–39), Roy Bentley (1948–56), Jimmy Greaves (1957–61), Peter Osgood (1964–74 and 1978–79), Kerry Dixon (1983–92), Frank Lampard (2001–) and Didier Drogba (2004–). With 193 goals, Dixon is the only player to have come close to matching Tambling's record. Greaves holds the record for the most goals scored in one season (43 in 1960–61). Lampard is the top scorer currently at the club with 181.

Chelsea's biggest winning scoreline in a competitive match is 13–0, achieved against Jeunesse Hautcharage in the Cup Winners' Cup in 1971. The club's biggest top-flight win was an 8–0 victory against Wigan Athletic in 2010. Chelsea's biggest loss was an 8–1 reverse against Wolverhampton Wanderers in 1953. Officially, Chelsea's highest home attendance is 82,905 for a First Division match against Arsenal on 12 October 1935. However, an estimated crowd of over 100,000 attended a friendly matchagainst Soviet team Dynamo Moscow on 13 November 1945. The modernisation of Stamford Bridge during the 1990s and the introduction of all-seater stands mean that neither record will be broken for the foreseeable future. The current legal capacity of Stamford Bridge is 41,837.

Chelsea hold numerous records in English and European football. They hold the record for the highest ever points total for a league season (95), the fewest goals conceded during a league season (15), the highest number of Premier League victories in a season (29), the highest number of clean sheets overall in a Premier League season (25) (all set during the 2004–05 season), and the most consecutive clean sheets from the start of a league season (6, set during the 2005–06 season).

The club's 21–0 aggregate victory over Jeunesse Hautcharage in the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup in 1971 remains a record in European competition. Chelsea hold the record for the longest streak of unbeaten matches at home in the English top-flight, which lasted 86 matches from 20 March 2004 to 26 October 2008. They secured the record on 12 August 2007, beating the previous record of 63 matches unbeaten set by Liverpool between 1978 and 1980. Chelsea's streak of eleven consecutive away league wins, set between 5 April 2008 and 6 December 2008, is also a record for the English top flight.

Chelsea have recorded several "firsts" in English football. Along with Arsenal, they were the first club to play with shirt numbers on 25 August 1928 in their match againstSwansea Town. Chelsea were the first English side to travel by aeroplane to a domestic away match, when they visited Newcastle United on 19 April 1957, and the first First Division side to play a match on a Sunday, when they faced Stoke City on 27 January 1974. On 26 December 1999, Chelsea became the first British side to field an entirely foreign starting line-up (no British or Irish players) in a Premier League match against Southampton. On 19 May 2007, they became the first team to win the FA Cup at the new Wembley Stadium, having also been the last to win it at the old Wembley. After the conclusion of the 2007–08 season, Chelsea became the highest ranked club under UEFA's five-year coefficient system used in the seeding of European club competitions in the following season, the first English club to do so in the 21st century. On the final day of the 2009–10 season, Chelsea became the first team in Premier League history to score at least 100 goals in a single season. They also hold the record for the biggest transfer fee paid, following the purchase of Fernando Torres on 31 January 2011 for £50m.

Chelsea Suppoters and Rivals

Chelsea have the fifth highest average all-time attendance in English football and regularly attract over 40,000 fans to Stamford Bridge; they were the fifth best-supported Premier League team in the 2009–10 season, with an average gate of 41,472. Chelsea's traditional fanbase comes from all over the Greater London area including working-class parts such as Hammersmith and Battersea, wealthier areas like Chelsea and Kensington, and from the home counties. There are also numerous official supporters clubs in the United Kingdom and all over the world. At matches, Chelsea fans sing chants such as "Carefree", "Ten Men Went to Mow", "We All Follow the Chelsea" (to the tune of Land of Hope and Glory), "Zigga Zagga", and the celebratory "Celery", with the latter often resulting in fans ritually throwing celery. The vegetable was banned inside Stamford Bridge after an incident involving Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fàbregas at the 2007 League Cup Final.

Chelsea do not have a traditional rivalry on the scale of the Merseyside derby or the North London derby, and their West London derby with Fulham or Queens Park Rangers has not been as prominent over the years with due to the clubs often spending time in separate divisions. A 2004 survey by Planetfootball.com found that Chelsea fans consider their main rivalries to be with (in order): Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United. Their rivalry with Tottenham Hotspur is said to have developed following the 1967 FA Cup Final, the first cup final held between two London clubs. Additionally, a strong rivalry with Leeds United dates back to several heated and controversial matches in the 1960s and 1970s, particularly the 1970 FA Cup Final. More recently, a rivalry has grown with Liverpool following repeated clashes in cup competitions.

During the 1970s and 1980s in particular, Chelsea supporters were associated with football hooliganism. The club's "football firm", originally known as the Chelsea Shed Boys, and subsequently as theChelsea Headhunters, were nationally notorious for violent acts involving hooligans from other teams, such as West Ham United's Inter City Firm and Millwall's Bushwackers, before, during and after matches. The increase of hooligan incidednts in the 1980s led chairman Ken Bates to propose erecting an electric fence to deter them from invading the pitch, a proposal that was rejected by the GLC. Since the 1990s there has been a marked decline in crowd trouble at matches, as a result of stricter policing, CCTV in grounds and the advent of all-seater stadia. According to Home Officestatistics, 126 Chelsea fans were arrested for football-related offences during the 2009–10 season, the third highest in the division, and 27 banning orders were issued, the fifth highest in the division.