Chelsea 2-1 Benfica - WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT!?

Now I need to write this tonight based on what I am feeling right now and being honest it's mixed emotions as you can tell by the subject of this post.

I haven't read any match reports, any articles in the press and the media and other Chelsea Blog sites and not even Roberto Di Matteo's reaction after the game because it's important that I put down in black and white what I feel. I want to portray the raw emotion after the game.

Now it's also important to state the half of my emotion tonight is jubilation that we are through to our sixth Champions League Semi Final. To go through 3-1 against Benfica who are a really good side is great and to look at it printed in black and white on record is credit to the players but tonight it doesn't tell the whole story.

It's important to remember that we could only dream of being in this position a month ago at this stage of the season. Let's face it after the result in Naples we looked dead and buried but RDM and the players have turned it round and once again we are set to face the biggest test of all in Barcelona in just two weeks time. I know I will wake up in the morning and the fact the game is now reality will sink in.

The problem I have, and the other half of my emotions tonight is the reality of our performance tonight. With all the big build up after what happened in the second leg against Napoli, the way we played in Lisbon and how we approached the game all lead to tonight. I was expecting the same level of performance tonight and to really put in yet another professional performance and see off Benfica because I knew we had it in us.

The thing is, it never really happened or got started did it?. Instead we have come away from the game like I said with mixed emotions because on one hand we are elated that we are through to face Barca but on the other, feeling disappointed because of how we played tonight and it's strange to say that because we did win the game on the night.

Now whether it's because of the occasion or the players having one eye on Barcelona we will never know. We cannot take any credit away from Benfica who played really, really well. On one hand they shot themselves in the foot by giving away the penalty and then having their skipper being sent off, but then deserve great credit for approaching the game the right way in the second half and nearly getting the result they were looking for even if they also rode their luck.

We started off too laboured and sat too deep. That enabled Benfica to get hold of the ball and push us backwards. The possession they had, the deeper we dropped and some of the chances they had in the game should never have come about. Even at the end when their sub shot wide with the outside of his right foot - he had someone clean through in the middle of the area just waiting for the ball to be played to him but chose to ignore him!.

Our performance wasn't the Chelsea we had seen in recent weeks and that IS disappointing to say. However, once again we managed to grind out a result and beat them again with Raul Meireles fantastic run and strike to kill them off at the end.

It was typical Chelsea putting us lot through the ringer once again when we all know we could have played so much better and made the game alot more comfortable.

Being honest, when Lampard scored the penalty to make it 1-0 and 2-0 on agg, I thought we would see Chelsea relax, get hold of the ball and play their football. It's fair to say we only saw that in fit's and starts and never consistently enough!.

I would imagine now that the press and media are going to have a field day about the way we played and all the crap will come out now stating that if we play like that against Barcelona we will get thrashed!. It's to be expected but I don't agree with it. Barcelona is a whole different ball game.

So to finalise I just want to confirm that even still, sitting here writing this to you all, I am still feeling like one minute I am so happy we are through but the next, feeling disappointed in how we played but I guess that's football.

I would imagine there are plenty of you out there feeling the same as me at the moment and maybe even still tomorrow morning. I am not someone who normally has a downer on nights like this. It could have been so much different for us tonight in both the positive and negative and that's why I felt I had to write what I have been left feeling.

I know my Chelsea and it was just a shadow of THAT TEAM tonight for me. However, in two weeks time I also know and hope, it will be so much different!.

Just don't do that to us again!.


szólj hozzá: C2-1B www.fasthighlights.com

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