Defending champions Chelsea labored to a 4-0 victory over Champions League newcomers FC Nordsjaelland, with three of the four goals coming in the final ten minutes.
Juan Mata gave the Blues the lead just after the half-hour mark, with Chelsea then unable to add to their lead. As the match wore on, Nordsjaelland were presented with a couple of brilliant opportunities to equalize and were made to pay for those misses when David Luiz doubled the lead in the 80th minute.
That goal seemed to knock the stuffing out of the Danish champions, playing in Europe's elite competition for the first time, as Mata and Ramires added a couple more to give the scoreline a better look.
Chelsea manager Roberto Di Matteo was relieved to come away from Denmark with all three points, after their far from impressive performance against Juventus in the opening group game. "We were a little slow in the first half, but the goals came in the end," he said. It was a shame we couldn't close the game out earlier, but overall it was a good result.
"We got three points, four goals, a clean sheet and all away from home.
"Petr Cech made an unbelievable save and we were really grateful, because at the time it was 1-0 and they were playing well.
"The second goal was very important, we were much better and sharper in the second half and once we scored the second we knew we were going to win. David scores that kind of goal a lot in training, we have just been waiting for one in a match."
Nordsjaelland head coach Kasper Hjulmand felt, if his side had taken their chances, the result could have been completely different. "We played a really fine game until the 75th minute," he said. "Until that point the game was completely even, and if we had scored with that opportunity when (Joshua) John hit the post, it would have been a completely different game.
"From the 75th minute, though, after they went 2-0 ahead, we were not able to match them physically any longer. We are simply not used to playing at the pace they play. However, I think 4-0 is an unfairly heavy defeat."
© Copyright 2024 Sports World News, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.