With or without Mr. Mourinho the good times continue to roll at Stamford Bridge.
England midfielder Frank Lampard was tremendous last night, capping his performance by grabbing two second-half goals.
Much of the pre-match build-up focused upon Jose Mourinho and whether he would be able to communicate with his staff during the game. Television footage suggested the Chelsea boss was doing just that. The pictures were inconclusive, although it was suggested that the Chelsea fitness coach, Rui Faria, was receiving instruction via an ear piece concealed beneath his woolly hat. The club have denied breaking any rules and Uefa have confirmed that they they willl not be looking into the matter; this despite a Uefa official questioning Rui Faria about his earpiece in the second half.
Mourinho’s assistant manager Baltemar Brito claimed he had not spoken to Mourinho for several hours before the game. Uefa official Fritz Ahlstrom made the decision later in the night, that no charges would be made or any investigation taken.
Chelsea went ahead after five minutes through a deflected shot from Joe Cole which deceived Olivier Kahn. However, after the break, Bayern levelled the scores through substitute Bastian Schweinsteiger who pounced when Petr Cech spilled a shot.
Bayern threatened to take a stranglehold on the tie, but Frank Lampard had other ideas. Lampard received a knockdown from Didier Drogba and he steered home from edge of the box.
It was a typical Lampard drive and there was more to come. Claude Makelele, who was simple but effective all night found Lampard on the right hand edge of the box. Controlling it on his chest and swivelling in one movement, Lampard crashed a left-foot strike past the helpless Kahn.
Chelsea were squeezing the life out of Bayern Munich and the tie looked over as a contest when Drogba pounced with five minutes to knock in an easy tap in.
Bayern Munich were hanging on, lucky not to concede to a fifth, but from their last corner of the game, the Germans were able to salvage something from the night’s game. From the corner Ballack flung himself to the floor when Ricardo Carvalho brushed past him. The 6”7 referee, Rene Temmink pointed straight to the penalty spot, much to the dismay of the Chelsea fans and players. Ballack recovered in time to take and convert the penalty.
The decision spoilt the night for Chelsea, leaving a bitter taste in the mouth of their supporters. Although sympathy for Carvalho will be limited. It was the Portuguese defender who impeded the Barcelona goalkeeper Victor Valdes at the John Terry goal that settled the tie against Barcelona in the previous round. The old saying, what goes around, comes around, was not far from anyone’s lips last night.
