Chelsea News - Goalkeeper Petr Cech: 2-1 Is A Fair Result
Chelsea defeated FC Basel in Switzerland on Thursday evening in the first leg of the UEFA Europa League after David Luiz scored a fantastic free-kick in the dying seconds of the match. Chelsea hopped out to an early lead after Victor Moses nodded home from a corner, but the home side leveled things in the final minutes after a controversial penalty was awarded to Basel.
Speaking to ChelseaFC.com, Petr Cech discussed the match as well as the penalty.
‘They equalised but there was still time and I believed we would have another chance,’ Cech said afterwards. ‘We had enough from the counter-attacks and in the last second we managed to score. It was a goal we deserved. I have to say that they played really well, but we had more chances than them in the end and I think 2-1 is a fair result.
Cech expressed his side’s feelings towards the referee’s decision on the penalty. The visitors, clearly the stronger side, could have and should have been up by more than one goal by the time the referee decided to award the penalty, but showed great resilience to fight back and get a vital three points.
‘It was a pity by the time the penalty happened it was only 1-0. We all knew the decision was not correct and it made us angry for the last 10 minutes, which gave us the energy to press and get the last chance. It gives us a good advantage for the second leg.’
The Czech Republic international believes Chelsea’s experience in Europe is what helped give them the decisive advantage in Switzerland. FC Basel have been a bit of a Cinderella story throughout the competition whereas Chelsea are seasoned vets in Europe’s best club competitions.
‘I think a little bit of experience, it’s always important,’ he said. ‘We played many European semi-finals and in the end I think the difference paid off when we managed to score the second goal.
‘We have to give credit to Basel, they played really well. It’s a fantastic achievement for their club, they are fighting, but we have given ourselves a good advantage for the home game. We know how difficult it is to kill the game off and win the tie, but this could give us the edge and we hope to wrap it up at home.’
Chelsea have a great advantage heading into the second leg at Stamford Bridge, and with two away goals, will certainly look to capitalize on their chance to get their second European final in as many years. How do you see the second leg playing out? Do you think Chelsea have an easy passage to the final or will Basel give them a headache in London?
