Didier Drogba fired Chelsea into the knock out stages of the Champions League as he returned from suspension to score twice against a plucky Atletico Madrid side.Carlo Ancelotti's side were in trouble when Sergio Aguero put the Spaniards ahead midway through the second half of a match dominated at times by the home side.
The Blues had a £40m bid for the forward turned down in the summer – and he showed them exactly what they were missing when he fired home in the 66th minute.
But Drogba, back from suspension, pounced in the 82nd minute to head from Florent Malouda's left-wing cross and the Ivory Coast international then completed a stunning comeback for Chelsea in the 87th minute when he beat two defenders before slotting home after Andres Sergio Asenjo had parried his first effort.
Atletico refused to lie down, though, and claimed a deserved equaliser when Aguero hit an unstoppable free kick past Petr Cech in stoppage time.
REACTION:
Drogba's double took his total goals for the season 12. So it's not surprising the striker believes he has never played better than he is at the moment.
Asked if he was playing the best football of his career, Drogba said: "I think so. A few years ago I was playing with the same confidence and it is always easier when you are injury free. I hope I stay like that until the end of my career."
Drogba admitted his side could have defended better for Aguero's second goal and added: "Maybe we could have done better with the wall, but I have played many games in the Champions League before and I am just happy to be on the pitch and playing with my friends."
Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti was also full of praise for his striker but admitted his side had struggled against the resilient Spaniards.
He added: "Didier is an important player for us. He is doing very well and we are very happy.
"I am happy because we are in the next stage of the Champions League that is important but it was a difficult match. It is hard to play here and we are just pleased to be in the next stage."
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Chelsea were on the ropes for a large part of this match and never looked like scoring until very late on. Meanwhile Atletico Madrid looked a different team under new manager Quique Flores. The La Liga side were taken apart by Chelsea in west London last month, but were good value here.
Aguero's neat finish in the 66th minute looked enough to hand them a deserved win. That was until Drogba inspired a Chelsea comeback with two well-taken goals.
His first in the 82nd minute displayed his upper body strength while his second goal showed classic brute forced and dogged determination as he powered his way through the Atletico Madrid defence.
But Atletico Madrid pulled a deserved equaliser back when Aguero added his second from a free-kick.
WHAT IT MEANS:
Chelsea are through to the knock out stages of the Champions League keeping Ancelotti's hopes of winning the trophy intact. It also means Chelsea have received a bonus of going into Sunday's Premier League match with Manchester United, without suffering any fresh injuries.
QUOTABLE:
"We were only thinking about this game and now we can focus on the next one but we have to show different qualities."
A subtle Drogba admits his team-mates need to play better to beat United.
ATLETICO MADRID 2 (Aguero 66, 90) CHELSEA 0 (Drogba 82, 87)
PLAYER MARKING:
Chelsea (4-1-2-1-2): Cech 6; Belletti 5, Terry 6, Alex 5, A Cole 6; Essien 6; (Ballack 60,6), 6, Lampard, 5, Malouda 5; J Cole 5 (Deco, 70,5), 6; Drogba 9, Kalou 4, (Anelka, 70), 6.
Subs not used: Hilario; Ivanovic, Carvalho, Sturridge,
Atletico Madrid (4-1-3-2): Asenjo, 6; Juanito, 6 Antonio Lopez 6, Pablo Ibanez 5, Perea; 5, Reyes 6 (Rodriguez 73,5), Paulo Assuncao 6, Santana 6, Simao 7, (Jurado 83,5 ), 6 ;Forlan 7, Sinama Pongolle 6, (Aguero 54, 8).
Subs not used: Raul Garcia, de Gea, Soto, Ujfalusi.
ATTENDANCE: 45,000
NEXT UP:
- Chelsea v Manchester United (Home), Premier League 08/11, 1600 GMT
MAN OF THE MATCH:
Didier Drogba (Chelsea): The striker's goalscoring record is often highlighted, but here he showed there is much more to his game as he also defended well. The 31-year-old made some crucial interceptions for Chelsea and took his two goals superbly.
