Drogba talks on track

Shanghai Shenhua's talks with Didier Drogba are continuing "just as planned", a report said Wednesday, raising expectations the striker will move to China after announcing his departure from Chelsea.

Shenhua, bankrolled by colourful video-game mogul Zhu Jun, signed Drogba's ex-Chelsea team-mate Nicolas Anelka in December and they have been in talks with the Ivory Coast international since at least January.

"As of now, Shenhua's negotiations with Drogba are continuing just as planned," Zhu told the Oriental Sports Daily.

Drogba, 34, revealed he was quitting English Premiership giants Chelsea on Tuesday, just days after his match-winning performance in the Champions League final against Bayern Munich.

Drogba scored a late equaliser as well as the decisive spot-kick in the penalty shoot-out. Since joining Chelsea from Marseille in 2004, he has tallied 157 goals in 341 appearances, helping the club win 10 trophies.

"It has been a very difficult decision for me to make and I am very proud of what we have achieved, but the time is right for a new challenge for me," he told Chelsea's website.

Drogba would be the latest star signing for China's increasingly big-spending Super League, after World Cup-winning coach Marcello Lippi joined Guangzhou Evergrande last week.

But Anelka's move has not been without its problems. Last week he threatened to quit Shenhua over the club's plans to hire a new head coach, according to local media.

"If there is still no one to support me and (they) continue to play little tricks behind my back... then I will quickly decide whether or not to retire," the Frenchman told the Xinmin Evening News.

Club owner Zhu has written to Anelka's agent and lawyer asking for an explanation, the Oriental Sports Daily said.

In April, Shenhua sacked French coach Jean Tigana, then the highest profile manager to work in China, after just a handful of games and replaced him with a makeshift set-up including Anelka as player-coach.

They are now tipped to be targeting Sergio Daniel Batista, who led Argentina to Olympic gold in 2008, as their new manager.

I can't believe it; a dream broke down in seconds

Ivica Olić and Jérôme Boateng acknowledged FC Bayern München had paid the price for failing to make the most of their opportunities as the UEFA Champions League slipped away. 

 

 

Ivica Olić and Jérôme Boateng agreed the UEFA Champions League had slipped from FC Bayern München's grasp as the German side succumbed to a penalty shoot-out defeat by Chelsea FC.

The Munich club looked on course for a fifth title when Thomas Müller finally broke the English club's resistance seven minutes from the end, but Didier Drogba's equaliser forced extra time. Bayern soon had the chance to regain the lead when Franck Ribéry won a spot kick but Arjen Robben was denied by Petr Čech, and the final moved inexorably to a penalty shoot-out. Even there Bayern gained the upper hand when Manuel Neuer saved Chelsea's first effort from Juan Mata, but Čech kept out Olić and then Bastian Schweinsteiger, leaving Drogba to seal their fate.

"Of course it's a terrible feeling, but on balance we controlled it," Olić said after his last game for the club before his summer move to VfL Wolfsburg. "We had chances and should have won before penalties; but that's football. A penalty shoot-out is always about luck. Tonight we didn't have our full concentration and Chelsea won it in the end. It doesn't matter if they deserved it or not. They did it, and I have to congratulate them."

Bayern are no strangers to final disappointments having gone down to FC Internazionale Milano in the 2010 showpiece in Madrid, although this proved considerably harder to bear. "Then we lost but we were not the better team," Olić added. "Tonight we had many more chances, a lot more control of the game and we were playing at home. That hurts more than two years ago."

Much was made of Chelsea's spirit in recovering from going behind late on, and Olić acknowledged the new champions' remarkable desire. "They fought hard, at 1-0 down they threw everything up front and got a goal from a corner – a pity really," he explained. "We only had two minutes left and Chelsea hadn't had any opportunities until then – then a corner and a goal. We were very unlucky today, but we have to congratulate Chelsea."

Bayern were moments away from becoming the first team to lift the UEFA Champions League in their own ground, and Boateng admitted having that snatched away was a bitter pill to swallow. "We are all very disappointed, down in the dumps. What can I say? We lost, but were clearly the better team. I just can't believe it. A dream broke down within seconds. We always had the advantage, we were leading 1-0, had a penalty and were leading in the penalty shoot-out. But that's how football can be."

 

Chelsea success leaves Drogba speechless

Having converted the decisive penalty as Chelsea FC finally claimed the UEFA Champions League, man of the match Didier Drogba said words could not describe his emotions.

Having finally got his hands on the UEFA Champions League trophy, Chelsea FC striker Didier Drogba struggled to find the words to express his emotion after a match-winning display in Munich.

Sent off in Chelsea's final defeat four years ago, the Ivorian looked destined for more misery when Thomas Müller nodded FC Bayern München into an 83rd-minute lead, only to reply with a bullet header of his own five minutes later. Fortune turned again for Drogba at the start of extra time when he felled Franck Ribéry inside the Chelsea penalty area, but Petr Čech came to his rescue by saving Arjen Robben's penalty.

Man of the match Didier Drogba celebrates with the UEFA Champions League trophy

When the Chelsea goalkeeper denied Ivica Olić and Bastian Schweinsteiger in the ensuing shoot-out, it gave Drogba the chance to take the trophy to Stamford Bridge for the first time. The 34-year-old made no mistake and, as he collected his man of the match award from UEFA's technical study group, he struggled to gather his thoughts. "I'm really happy and I don't know if there are enough words to describe how I feel now. Today I'm smiling; in Moscow it was very difficult, very painful for the players, club and fans; today we managed to change it."

"Again, it was an amazing, crazy game – conceding a goal minutes from the end, equalising. We gave everything. I don't know if we have enough energy to party tonight but we're going to find it."
Drogba missed a penalty in the Ivory Coast's defeat by Zambia in February's Africa Cup of Nations final, and admitted that was on his mind as he made the long walk from the Fußball Arena München's centre circle. "I was confident but I still had in my head the African Nations Cup, when I could have won the game for my team so it was very difficult. Petr Čech is the best goalkeeper in the world and made some great saves – I wanted to do it for him and everyone else. I wanted to make everyone smile and I did."

The striker is out of contract this summer, raising the possibility that the winning kick could be his last for Chelsea, although he was keen to keep the focus on the club's achievement rather than his personal situation. "I've been here for eight years and always so close but so far at the same time. Today we have it – the cup is coming back to Stamford Bridge and it's the best feeling ever. What a way to do it; now we can enjoy [it], have fun and party.

"The most important thing is not my future; the most important thing is what we achieved today, the way the players fought to win the cup and the way the fans supported us even when we conceded. The way we've played in this season's Champions League, the way we turned things round and the way we played against Napoli and Barcelona – we deserved to win. We're great champions."

Grate Match Chelsea (1 - 0) Barcelona on 18 April of CL 2012

Chelsea produced the kind of "perfect'' performance Roberto Di Matteo had demanded to inflict Barcelona's first Champions League defeat of the season and give themselves real hope of reaching the final.

Didier Drogba celebrates after netting the winning goal on half-time

• Palmer: Chelsea find the blueprint
• Drogba: Chelsea have learnt lessons
• Di Matteo: We've answered critics
• Chelsea v Barcelona gallery
The Blues once again proved the nemesis of the team feted by many as the greatest to play the game thanks to an amazing smash-and-grab Didier display in the semi-final first leg at a jubilant Stamford Bridge.
Interim boss Di Matteo's plan paid off spectacularly, Didier Drogba scoring the winner to go some way to burying the demons of the sides' last meeting three years ago.
As well as being magnificent to a man in carrying out the instructions of Di Matteo, Chelsea also enjoyed the kind of luck that deserted them in 2009 and which they have had in spades since the Italian took charge.
They may need plenty more at Camp Nou on Tuesday to reach their second final after Barca missed a glut of chances after dominating possession from start to finish.

Lionel Messi leaps to head the ball on goal but can't find the net.

The pattern of the match was set the moment the visitors kicked off, Chelsea allowing them possession and Raul Meireles leading the pressure behind Drogba.
From a defensive point of view, it largely worked, although the visitors should have taken one of the chances to have fallen their way.
Luck played a part in the first of them in the ninth minute, Alexis Sanchez chipping against the crossbar from Andres Iniesta's perfectly-timed pass.
The other two both fell to Cesc Fabregas courtesy of Lionel Messi, who was otherwise restricted to a quiet half.
The first was a sitter, Fabregas failing to connect properly with his finish after Messi's burst and pass had set up Andres Iniesta for a shot Petr Cech parried.
Messi finally had the chance to build up a real head of steam two minutes before half-time, Fabregas this time producing a delightful dink which was only kept out by Ashley Cole's clearance off the line.
Otherwise Chelsea had plenty to give them hope from what little ball they had.
The benefit of going long was quickly demonstrated when only a heavy touch prevented Drogba capitalising on Cech's clearance.
Drogba, who got away with overstepping the mark when he trod on Sergio Busquets' foot, also failed to make the most of a one-on-one with Carles Puyol.
Long throws predictably unsettled Barca, too, and Gary Cahill almost took advantage of the first of them.
Chelsea did tread a fine line discipline-wise, with Meireles lucky not to pick up a booking that would see him suspended for the second leg.
"Same old Barca, always cheating,'' chanted the home fans whenever a Barca player went down.
They were in good spirits despite the deluge, which may have played a part in Drogba scoring with the final kick of the first half.
Barca were caught upfield and Frank Lampard's ball over the top sent Ramires rampaging forward, the Brazilian's cross picking out Drogba.
Victor Valdes should have saved the scuffed finish but could only help it into the net.
Barca were even more dominant after the restart, Cech parrying Adriano's curler before Sanchez missed another gilt-edge chance when he stabbed Fabregas' scooped pass wide from six yards.
Otherwise they were being kept at bay by a world-class defensive display led by Cahill and John Terry, who were almost single-handedly keeping Messi quiet.
Pep Guardiola sent on Pedro for Sanchez with 24 minutes remaining, with Barca becoming increasingly frustrated, not least with perceived play-acting from Drogba, who got an earful from Puyol.
There was finally a booking when Ramires tripped Messi in full flight, Pedro quickly following for a similar offence on Cole.
Busquets was also cautioned for scything down Ramires after Juan Mata was withdrawn for Salomon Kalou.
Fabregas left the field to a chorus of boos for Thiago Alcantara as Chelsea began to drop deeper and deeper, as they had done three years earlier.
Barca laid siege to the Blues goal and Cech produced a magnificent save three minutes' from time when Puyol glanced Messi's free-kick towards the corner.
And, in stoppage-time, the visitors saved their worst finish until last, Busquets skying high over the crossbar after Pedro's effort had hit the post.