Brazilian striker Brandao piled on the misery for out-of-form Chelsea with the only goal in Olympique Marseille`s 1-0 victory in Champions League Group F.
|Last Updated: Dec 09, 2010, 08:30 AM IST|Source: Bureau
Marseille: Brazilian striker Brandao piled on the misery for out-of-form Chelsea with the only goal in Olympique Marseille`s 1-0 victory in Champions League Group F.
Brandao tapped the ball past keeper Petr Cech from close range with nine minutes to go after a left-wing cross from Taye Taiwo was deflected into his path.
Chelsea, who have picked up just five points from the last 18 in the Premier League, produced another sluggish performance and Didier Drogba was taken off on the hour after the Ivory Coast forward struggled on his return to his former club.
Defeat ended Chelsea`s 100 percent record in the group as they finished with 15 points from six games, three ahead of Marseille. Both teams had already qualified for the knockout stages.
"We are in a difficult situation, we are losing confidence ... and we are not very lucky," Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti told reporters. "Tonight was our opportunity to restart a positive spiral.”
"This weekend we are playing Tottenham in the Premier League, a top team in good form. I am more worried for my team (than for my future)."Drogba received a standing ovation at the Stade Velodrome but gave another anonymous display as his side were outplayed in the first half.
Chelsea, without Frank Lampard, Nicolas Anelka, Ashley Cole, John Obi Mikel and Alex, were rocking early on as Mathieu Valbuena rattled the crossbar from 25 metres and Marseille went close several times.
Confusion then reigned when Chelsea were awarded a corner rather than a penalty after Florent Malouda was brought down by Souleymane Diawara.
Russian referee Vladislav Bezborodov seemed to point to the spot before changing his mind and awarding a corner, ignoring the pleas of the visitors.Chelsea`s Salomon Kalou also appeared to be brought down in the box while at the other end Gabriel Heinze headed the ball past Cech only for the goal to be ruled out for offside.
Both teams created little in the second period until Brandao struck to floor last season`s English Premier League and FA Cup winners.
Bureau Report
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.