Champions League: Defeat for Arsenal; Chelsea top Group F

Chelsea ensured that they will finish top of Group F after coming from behind to defeat MSK Zilina at Stamford Bridge, while a defeat for Arsenal away to Braga means that they will need a win in the final group game to guarantee progression to the last 16.

Chelsea 2-1 MSK Zilina

A largely second string Chelsea outfit came from behind to overcome MSK Zilina at Stamford Bridge to ensure that they will finish on top of Group F.

With Chelsea’s qualification already ensured and Zilina sitting on zero points at the bottom of the group, there was little to play for in West London and beleaguered Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti took the opportunity to blood youngsters such as Patrick Van Aanholt, Jeffrey Bruma, Joshua McEachran and Gael Kakuta in the starting lineup.

The visitors shocked the home crowd when they took the lead after 19 minutes when Babatounde Bello found the net after a tidy one-two with Robert Jez. Zilina held the lead until six minutes after the break when Dean Sturridge equalised for Chelsea, slotting home a Salomon Kalou cross at the far post.

Chelsea ramped up the pressure after Sturridge’s equaliser and both Drogba and Van Aanholt were denied by the post before Florent Malouda finally got the winner four minutes from time, netting from close range after Didier Drogba had nodded down Nicolas Anelka’s cross.

Considering that Zilina had conceded 15 goals in the four games prior to tonight’s game, Chelsea made hard work of the victory and will need a vast improvement in the knockout stages if they are to land the Champions League trophy that has eluded them in recent years.

Braga 2-0 Arsenal

Arsenal have gone the hard way about qualifying for the knockout stages of the Champions League after suffering a second successive defeat and failing to secure a point that would have guaranteed their progress to the last 16.

The Gunners only need a win over bottom of the table Partizan Belgrade at the Emirates next time out to go through, but they should have sealed their qualification in Portugal after a dominant performance in which they were caught out by two late goals from the Brazilian striker Matheus.

There was worse news for Arsene Wenger’s side after captain and talisman Cesc Fabregas limped off in the second half with a recurrence of a hamstring injury which is likely to keep the Spanish midfielder out for the next few weeks.

Without ever really threatening the Braga goal, Arsenal controlled the game right up to the closing stages and should have had a penalty when substitute Carlos Vela was upended in the area by Alberto Rodriguez.

The referee failed to point to the spot and instead booked Vela for diving and the home side rubbed salt into Arsenal wounds by taking the lead against the run of play seven minutes from time.

With Emmanuel Eboue receiving treatment off the pitch, Brandao played Matheus through on goal and the striker coolly slipped the ball past Fabianski to put Braga ahead.

Matheus made sure of the points deep into stoppage time with a cracking effort off the underside of the crossbar, but he and his teammates are still unlikely to make it through to the knockout stages, unless Arsenal slip up in the final group game, which seems unlikely given their displays in the two previous Champions League encounters at the Emirates so far this campaign.

Results

Group E:

Basle 1-0 FCR Cluj-Napoca

Roma 3-2 Bayern Munich

Group F:

Chelsea 2-1 MSK Zilina

Spartak Moscow 0-3 Marseille

Group G

Ajax 0-4 Real Madrid

Auxerre 0-2 AC Milan

Group H

Braga 2-0 Arsenal

Partizan Belgrade 0-3 Shakhtar Donetsk