Champions League semi-final LIVE! Atletico Madrid v Chelsea - Live coverage - The Independent

Champions League semi-final LIVE! Atletico Madrid v Chelsea



BY JAMES ORR

by The Independent


Hello, and welcome to The Independent's coverage of this crucial Champions League semi-final first-leg tie between Atletico Madrid and Chelsea at the Vicente Calderon.

We want to hear what you think, to do that, use the 'Make a comment' button and we'll publish the best ones.
    • FT: Atletico Madrid 0-0 Chelsea
    • Cech forced off in the 18th minute
    • Terry went off injured in the 70th minute
    • Courtois started against his parent club
    • Match kicked off at 7.45pm
    4/22/2014 6:38:50 PM
  • What an eventful couple of days it's been in the world of football...Burnley getting promoted, the Celtic assistant manager leaving his post, and the announcement that Kevin Mirallas would miss the remainder of the season. But if you can handle any more, there's just over any to go until kick-off at the Vicente Calderon.
    4/22/2014 5:37:31 PM
  • Roll up..roll up...it's team news time
    Thibaut Courtois, the Atletico Madrid goalkeeper on loan from Chelsea, starts against his parent club in the Champions League semi-final first-leg tie between the teams tonight at the Vicente Calderon.

    Reports suggested that Chelsea had a clause in the loan deal meaning the Belgian would not be allowed to face the Londoners unless Atletico paid a fee of £5m. However, Uefa announced immediately after the draw that such a clause was invalid, and he has been cleared to start.

    Atletico Madrid: Courtois, Juanfran, Miranda, Godin, Filipe, Mario, Gabi, Koke, Raul Garcia, Diego, Diego Costa

    Six changes made by Mourinho for Chelsea, Fernando Torres starts against his former side, and Ashley Cole makes his first start since 26 January and goalkeeper Petr Cech, midfielders John Mikel Obi and Frank Lampard, and defender David Luiz also return.

    Chelsea: Cech, Azpilicueta, Cahill, Terry, Cole, Mikel, Luiz, Lampard, Ramires, Willian, Torres
    4/22/2014 5:49:33 PM


  • 4/22/2014 5:59:09 PM
  • Time for Torres:


    4/22/2014 6:01:03 PM
  • It was like (a smaller version of) Beatlemania when Fernando Torres landed in Barajas airport yesterday, back to his old stomping ground. He was mobbed by around 100 fans. Here's what Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone had to say about the striker:

    But before kick-off and after the final whistle he will have the ovation he deserves. Because this is his home and he is one of us. I hope fans will welcome him as they did in Monte Carlo [for the European SuperCup last season] before and after the match – in the best way possible. He is a lad who will always belong to Atletico Madrid wherever he may be playing.
     
    Read the full article HERE
    4/22/2014 6:05:50 PM
  • The difference between Diego Simeone and Jose Mourinho? Here's what Tiago, who formerly played for Chelsea and is on the bench for Atletico tonight, had to say:

    In terms of their winning mentality and the way it comes through in the work they do every day, they are not just similar, they are identical,” he says. “Simeone’s mere presence on the touchline is enough to lift us. He lives every minute of the game and the energy he transmits strengthens us.

    “Mourinho does the same but in a different way. He motivates you through the week building up to the game. It’s perhaps more of a mental thing with him because he gets inside your head.


    Read the full article HERE
    4/22/2014 6:17:30 PM
  • They are not leading La Liga out of luck...

    4/22/2014 6:27:43 PM
  • The Courtois v Cech debate continues...

    4/22/2014 6:28:27 PM
  • Just under 15 minutes to go until kick-off at the Vicente Calderon. Atmosphere will soon reach fever pitch. Chelsea should not be too daunted, however. They have progressed in 12 out of 15 Champions League knockout ties when the first leg has been played away from home
    4/22/2014 6:32:36 PM
  • Friends reunited?

    4/22/2014 6:34:46 PM
  • The view from the press box..


    4/22/2014 6:41:13 PM
  • And the teams emerge from the tunnel..soon we'll hear that stirring anthem. Kick-off is just minutes away!
    4/22/2014 6:44:04 PM
  • 1 min: And Atletico get us under way....
    4/22/2014 6:47:36 PM
  • 3 min: Atletic happy to keep possession at the moment. Garcia puts a cross in but it can't reach team-mate. Diego Costa, the dangerman, then passes to his namesake, simply DIego, but he slices his long-range effort wide..
    4/22/2014 6:50:24 PM
  • 4 min: Chelsea go on their first attack, Lampard lumps it towards Ramires but he can't get on the ball. The La Liga leaders have made a comfortable start..
    4/22/2014 6:52:27 PM
  • 5 min: Chelsea look  to put Torres in down the wing, but Juanfran deals with the striker. Koke and Diego continue to keep Atletico ticking over.
    4/22/2014 6:54:27 PM
  • 7 min: A spot of handbags between Terry and Diego Costa, who was unhappy with a tackle on him by the defender. Time for the game to really get going. An incredibly tentative start at the Vicente Calderon. Costa does look fired up however, can he spring the game into life?
    4/22/2014 6:57:35 PM


  • 4/22/2014 6:58:31 PM
  • 10 min: David Luiz lofts in a free-kick into the path of Terry but it's easily dealt with. Back to Atletico trying to break down this defensive-minded Chelsea team.
    4/22/2014 6:59:49 PM
  • He does look like smoke will soon be coming out of his ears...

    4/22/2014 7:01:19 PM
  • 14 min: Atletico win the first corner of the game. Koke curls it in, it looks like its going in but Cech taps it over. The goalkeeper goes down in immediate discomfort after an awkward fall. The physios rush onto the field after Cech signalled for a change straight away.
    4/22/2014 7:04:15 PM
  • 15 min: Cech is back on his feet, but that's the end of his evening. It appears that he has hurt his ribs after the fall. Schwarzer comes on as his replacement. Big loss for Chelsea.
    4/22/2014 7:06:21 PM


  • 4/22/2014 7:07:23 PM
  • 20 min: If only there was a clause in loan deals that you could recall the player in the middle of a game...
    4/22/2014 7:09:18 PM


  • 4/22/2014 7:09:48 PM
  • 22 min: Neither side offering much incision as they are still working each other out. Atletico tidier on the ball, but Mourinho's Chelsea playing in a supremely organised manner. He is the master tactician in these big games of course.
    4/22/2014 7:11:27 PM
  • 25 min: Both managers more animated than their players at the moment. Mourinho looks on, hands in pockets, from the edge of the technical area, while Simeone just shouts in manic fashion.
    4/22/2014 7:14:12 PM
  • 27 min: Chance for Ramires! Chelsea on the counter-attack, it's two-on-two with Torres in support, but the leggy Brazilian hits his effort wide, not troubling Courtois. 
    4/22/2014 7:16:28 PM
  • 28 min: Chance for Atletico! Koke chips the ball in, Raul Garcia beats Cole in the air but can only head it over.
    4/22/2014 7:18:29 PM

  • Petr Cech's night ended in the 18th minute

    4/22/2014 7:20:24 PM
  • 32 min: Mario Suarez gets into some space 25 yards out..takes a touch and fires in an absolute rocket, which goes just wide of Schwarzer's post. The centre-back can hit 'em. The name Suarez has certainly been synonymous with goals this season after all.
    4/22/2014 7:22:52 PM
  • That clash of the titans from earlier. Costa has calmed down a bit since thankfully...

    4/22/2014 7:25:00 PM
  • 40 min: Five minutes to go until half-time and the game has yet to spring into life, but you get the impression Mourinho's game-plan has worked perfectly. Maybe both sets of players are still reeling from the news from Old Trafford over the last couple of days.
    4/22/2014 7:28:16 PM
  • 41 min: Terry covers Costa's effort in the area, a fantastic block. Atletico shout for a penalty but the referee rightfully waves their protests away. It was a quite sublime touch to control the ball there from Costa first though.
    4/22/2014 7:30:02 PM
  • From dangerman to anchorman?


    4/22/2014 7:33:40 PM
  • 45 min: An uneventful first-half comes to an end, just how Mourinho would have wanted... Terry had plenty of success against Diego Costa and while Chelsea lost Cech to a rib injury, his replacement Schwarzer has looked totally assured.
    4/22/2014 7:39:18 PM
  • 46 min: And Chelsea start the second half...
    4/22/2014 7:53:00 PM


  • 4/22/2014 7:53:36 PM
  • Chelsea do have attacking options on the bench for that vital away goal..


    4/22/2014 7:55:44 PM
  • 48 min: Diego dinks in a through ball but it's cleared by an acrobatic Mikel header. He's looked solid in the middle of the field for Chelsea tonight, has done everything asked of him with Matic cup-tied.
    4/22/2014 7:57:41 PM
  • 51 min: David Luiz goes down from the smallest of contact from his compatriot Diego Costa. Cue more handbags on both sides before Luiz left the field and then returned a minute afterwards. Play acting? On that evidence...
    4/22/2014 8:01:07 PM
  • 54 min: The stop-start nature of the first-half has continued, referee Jonas Eriksson not needing much encouragement to blow up. Diego cuts in from his left to have a chance for Atletico, but Schwarzer saves with ease.
    4/22/2014 8:03:30 PM


  • 4/22/2014 8:04:02 PM
  • 56 min: While Chelsea have not enjoyed as much of the possession as their opponents, Atletico have hardly looked threatening so far, Chelsea defending deep to soak everything up.
    4/22/2014 8:05:49 PM
  • 58 min: Terrific sliding tackle from Cole to win the ball from Koke, he loves the big match scenario. Torres  makes some space for himself on the edge of the box...but the local boy's shot is well held by Courtois. Encouraging move from the Blues. On the basis of tonight, they might have one foot in the final with an away goal.
    4/22/2014 8:08:48 PM


  • 4/22/2014 8:09:09 PM
  • And I thought these kind of milestones were only reserved for a certain 'interim' Manchester United manager...

    4/22/2014 8:10:14 PM
  • 64 min: Gabi crosses the ball into the path of Diego Costa, but that's a fine piece of defending from David Luiz, who intercepts the cross to head away. A great night of defending in general for the Blues.
    4/22/2014 8:12:45 PM
  • 67 min: Godin plays it forward but this time it's Terry there to head away. This Chelsea defence looks unbreachable, Diego Costa or no Diego Costa.
    4/22/2014 8:16:39 PM
  • 70 min: But Terry looks in pain now. He looked to have rolled his ankle there after stepping back and his left foot hitting David Luiz's foot. He refuses the stretcher but that's another massive blow for Chelsea after losing Cech in the 18th minute. The centre-back is replaced by Schurlle, a move by Mourinho which sees David Luiz drop back to defence.
    4/22/2014 8:21:44 PM
  • 74 min: More handbags. Mikel and Gabi both shown yellows after Lampard looked to have handled the ball. Atletico players complained, with Lampard on a yellow, but he was not dismissed. Both Mikel and Lampard, however, will miss the second leg at Stamford Bridge next week.
    4/22/2014 8:24:20 PM
  • 77 min: With the defensive rock Terry out of the game, Atletico looking to up the tempo as we approach the final 10 minutes. Gabi getting more and more involved in the action.
    4/22/2014 8:26:56 PM
  • 10 min: The end edges ever closer. Mourinho is out of his dugout to direct traffic. It has been an easier night that most predicted..
    4/22/2014 8:30:39 PM
  • 82 min: Now Cahill dives to head clear from Juanfran's cross. Each member of the Blues defence has impressed tonight. Mourinho just does not fail in these big matches for Chelsea.
    4/22/2014 8:32:21 PM
  • Very funny Mr Lineker..

    4/22/2014 8:33:43 PM
  • 88 min: Torres wins a free-kick on the edge of the area for Chelsea...David Luiz steps up.
    4/22/2014 8:37:07 PM
  • 89 min: But the Brazilian skies his effort over. Lampard looked enviously at the ball...
    4/22/2014 8:37:57 PM
  • 91 min: Late chance for Diego Costa! Gabi chips it in and Diego Costa arrows his header on target, but it's another comfortable save by Schwarzer. The big Australian has not put a foot, or a hand, wrong tonight since replacing Cech.
    4/22/2014 8:41:10 PM
  • 94 min: Cometh the..erm, final 63 seconds, cometh Demba Ba. He comes on for Willian. He only needs one chance after all.
    4/22/2014 8:42:44 PM
  • FT: Chelsea win a late corner, Lampard lofts it in but Courtois holds the ball. Atletico look to attack but that's the end of the match. Chelsea were set up not to concede, and they held firm. If it was not for the injuries to Cech and Terry that would have gone exactly how Mourinho wanted, it was nearly scripted.
    4/22/2014 8:47:25 PM
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