FC Nordsjaelland 0-4 Chelsea - Match Reports and Highlights

The match reports

The Guardian, Dominic Fifield: “Chelsea achieved the remarkable on foreign soil in May but there was still something strangely unfamiliar about this. A team which has spluttered too often away from Stamford Bridge in this competition mustered a victory by a margin to send a message to the group, even if plenty about this occasion was deceptive. At first glance this looks a thrashing but against a side still pinching themselves about being in the Champions League at all the holders will not be hoodwinked. Emphatically as it all ended, with Nordsjaelland running out of steam in the last dozen minutes and wilting at the end, this was anything but a walk in the Parken. If the majority of chances created by the arena’s adopted home side were only fleeting sights of goal, usually snuffed out by a blur of blue as a Chelsea player dived in to intercept, then there was genuine anxiety when Joshua John, the Danes’ outstanding loanee from Twente, curled an attempt towards the far corner when the holders’ lead was still at its most slender. Petr Cech, diving to his left, summoned a staggering save to fingertip the ball on to the post and Nordsjaelland’s chance was gone.”

The Daily Telegraph, Jeremy Wilson: “There was no Danish fairytale in Copenhagen; just the familiar and rather more prosaic story of relentless Chelsea efficiency. Against a team whose players earn less in a year than John Terry or Fernando Torres are paid in a week, Chelsea delivered a resounding victory that places them at the summit of Champions League Group E. Three goals in the last 11 minutes did actually disguise a largely lacklustre performance but, as has so often been the case under Roberto di Matteo, the result was what really mattered. A draw at Stamford Bridge last month against Juventus had placed considerable significance on dispatching Nordsjaelland and, despite a prolonged second-half wobble, a first away win in the Champions League group phase for two years was duly secured.”

The Independent, Steve Tongue: “A deeply flattering scoreline took Chelsea to the top of the Group E table here last night, though hardly in the grand manner. It required three goals in the last 11 minutes of a pleasingly open match to see off spirited opposition in Nordsjaelland with their insistent possession game, occasionally let down by naive mistakes. Without John Terry, Chelsea’s defence allowed last season’s surprise Danish champions some scope and scoring opportunities, but the home side’s best period, lasting much of the second half, was brutally truncated. David Luiz added a badly needed second goal direct from a free-kick and it was a case of rubbing it in when Juan Mata scored his second goal of the night and finally Ramires tapped into an empty net.”

The Official Chelsea FC Website: “In the end, it was a comfortable three points, but the 4-0 scoreline was slightly harsh on the home side. Our first win of the Champions League campaign, and a first away win in the group stages since 2010, sees us head into a double header against Shakhtar Donetsk in good heart.”

The goals

33’ Mata 0-1 79’ David Luiz 0-2 82’ Mata 0-3 89’ Ramires 0-4 Longer highlights

Robbie’s reaction

“We expected a difficult game and that’s how it turned out. We were a little bit slow out of the blocks, we still had chances to score, we scored one and had a couple of other chances.

“The second goal was important, we were much better and sharper in the second half and once we scored that second we knew we were going to win the game.

“I expected a difficult game. No matter what, they try to play their football, but it’s not easy. There are no pushovers, you see that from other results, the Champions League is difficult.

“The most important aspect for us was to win, the fact we scored four and kept a clean sheet means it was an excellent result for us. Every game is different, it’s a difficult competition and away from home it’s not easy.”

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