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As Branislav Ivanovic & Guus Hiddink squared up sombrely to the cameras, one might've thought they'd prepared their speeches in advance.Chelsea, the fallen English champions, had just been tossed out of the Champions League at home by Paris Saint-Germain for the second time running. It was the latest in a string of thoroughly naive and uninspiring Chelsea performances, but this time with the bitter topping of a European exit. Something Chelsea fans have grown accustomed to in recent years is watching their team flail and flounder domestically but somehow put in top-notch European performances - even in defeat. This time however, in a season where they badly needed the morale boost, they were comfortably outplayed, outpassed and dumped out of the competition for the foreseeable future.The worst thing is that it was no surprise - they'd lost the reverse leg in a similar fashion and were scrambling to remain even in the top 10 of the Premier League. Meanwhile, PSG suffered serious vertigo from their vantage position high up in the Ligue 1 constellations - over 20 points and 40 goals better than their nearest rival!Fans will remain fans, and they'll always have their dream of a resurgence. Chelsea's European record isn't stellar but they're the only English team to have won every European trophy, and have almost single-handedly carried England's European coefficient in recent years. Moreover, they've been in 3 finals and 7 semi-finals in the past 12 years - having won 2 trophies. On Wednesday night, though, none of that mattered. The lack of fight that the zombie-like players displayed after Zlatan's winner left them needing 3 goals to win was damning. Stamford Bridge has just been painfully humbled - but not for the first time.Now it's time for a trip down some of Chelsea's most painful European exits ever.
#5 Barcelona (6) 5-1 (4) Chelsea, 2000
44 years after 1955 English champions Chelsea turned down the chance to play in the inaugural European Cup, the batch of 1999 gate-crashed the Euro party.
Boasting top-drawer players like Gianfranco Zola, Marcel Desailly, Dennis Wise, George Weah and future Champions League-winning manager Roberto Di Matteo, the English weren’t to be taken lightly. They’ smashed 5 unanswered goals in the fervent cauldron of Galatasaray’s Ali Sami Yen. Difficult ties against AC Milan, Lazio and Marseille had also been expertly dealt with, and the quarterfinal stage beckoned. Approach Louis Van Gaal’s mighty Barcelona.
After a barnstorming 3-1 victory at Stamford Bridge, the Catalan giants were well and truly shocked - and badly needed a victory. Chelsea had stunned Barcelona by taking them right on - but could they do this in such a finely-poised tie? Figo’s 45th minute goal to drag the Catalans equal and 2-0 ahead on the night suggested not. Chelsea had as of yet battled hard but not created enough.
When the second half started, the revitalized Blues found their feet as Tore Andre Flo beat a young Carlos Puyol and rolled the ball into the net to put the Catalans under immense pressure. Seven minutes from time, however, Barca substitute Dani scored his team's third to send the tie to extra time. The top-level experience of lengthy games was crucial at that stage, and Rivaldo scored with his second penalty of the match to make it 4-1. Celestine Babayaro was sent off for his foul and Barcelona killed the tie within the first half of extra-time, to mark one of the best European comebacks.
Chelsea had fought hard but ended up humbled at the Camp Nou.
#4 Chelsea (3) 2-2 (5) AS Monaco, 2004
Leicester City manager Claudio Ranieri might conjure a wry smile when asked about this particular tie – after all, it probably earned him the nickname "The Tinkerman".
After breaking back into the Champions League via Jasper Gronkjaer’s “£1billion goal" on the final day of the 2002-2003 season against Liverpool, Ranieri's charges wasted no time in their renewed assault on the European title. Having quickly dispatched every team on their way to the quarterfinals, they met bitter rivals Arsenal and eliminated them through a famous Wayne Bridge strike. It was to signal the end of the Gunners’ irresistible chokehold over their London rivals.
Their semi-final tie began in the worst way, losing 3-1 to a 10-man Monaco. So when the principality’s club travelled to the Bridge for the second time, the Blues were far more ready for them. It was that man Gronjkaer once again who put them ahead, followed by a 44th-minute strike from all-time top-scorer Frank Lampard. It seemed that Chelsea had learned their lesson from their late implosion in the first leg, but it wasn’t to be.
A controversial goal by Ibarra was deemed fine by Anders Frisk (who'd rekindle his love affair with Chelsea after a few years) and Fernando Morientes scored his second, crucial goal in the tie. Chelsea’s lack of discipline and control over both games when they had Monaco vulnerable had cost them dearly against ex-midfielder Didier Deschamps' organized, clinical men.
Despite a huge investment by Roman Abramovich, Claudio Ranieri had failed him and he was sacked by the end of the season. The young, brilliant Portuguese manager that beat Chelsea’s conquerors was hired and the rest is history.
#3 Liverpool (1) 1-0 Chelsea (0) , 2005
In the 2004-05 season, Chelsea's fancy new manager Jose Mourinho navigated them into the semi-finals after brilliant victories over the powerful Barcelona and Bayern Munich.
In the semi-finals, they drew Liverpool. At that moment, Chelsea had a mammoth 33 points beneath them in the Premier League were the Merseysiders and Chelsea’s familiar foe foes Rafa Benitez. A 0-0 draw at Stamford Bridge brought the Champions League tie back to Anfield on a knife’s edge. Mourinho and Benitez were hardly the best of friends anyway, but the Chelsea manager reckoned his side could play more freely. "I think the pressure is on Liverpool. We'll go back to London as heroes independent of the result," he said, as his star wingers Robben and Duff could not feature from the onset. Benitez, meanwhile, banked on the Kop’s greatest captain ever – “In my opinion Steve will be the key player for us... He can change a game.”
Just 3 minutes in and the fireworks started. Following a quick burst by Riise, Gerrard stole the ball off Frank Lampard and lobbed it over to the speedy Milan Baros. The Czech international’s deft touch to chip Cech eluded the goalkeeper, who came rushing out. As Baros appealed for a penalty, Luis Garcia nipped and poked the ball towards the empty Chelsea net. However, just as the ball was about to roll in, William Gallas stretched every sinew at the ball and hooked it clear. However, the goal was given and the Anfield crowd, erupted with delight. John Terry and Gallas howled in desperation as Garcia celebrated his infamous ‘ghost goal’.
Chelsea would huff and puff but Liverpool's impregnable defence moved on to their Miracle in Istanbul. Mourinho would remain scarred by the incident, later saying, “It was a goal that came from the moon - from the Anfield stands.”
#2 Chelsea (3) 2-2 (3) Paris Saint-Germain, 2015
While this season a clearly superior PSG beat a clearly inferior Chelsea, nobody would’ve foreseen what happened at Stamford Bridge last season.
Having drawn 1-1 away, all Chelsea needed was a clean sheet or a single goal to win. Having kept the Frenchmen rather quiet, the runaway English champions seemed in total control of the match. In the 31st minute, PSG’s talisman Zlatan Ibrahimovic was sent off for a foul on Oscar - a punishment for some rather nasty play by his colleagues up until then, even though the Brazilian rather exaggerated the contact. Instead of settling the tie there and then, Chelsea kept passing the ball around while surrendering their initiative to the visitors. The unease began to set in as Chelsea’s lack of killer instinct became quite apparent. The first-half ended with Stamford Bridge muted as Chelsea seemed to trudge arrogantly on the pitch - underestimating their opponents.
For another tepid, turgid 45 minutes, the home side passed and surrendered and played the ball to nowhere as Diego Costa scrapped, Oscar disappeared and Fabregas struggled to make a decent pass. Then finally, John Terry headed a corner down to their raring new £32million striker Diego Costa. He completely miscued it, but Gary Cahill was on hand to clap the rebound in with just 9 minutes to go.
Only 5 minutes later, the unthinkable happened. The man who’d assisted Schurrle’s opener here the previous season was celebrating again. David Luiz fired a bullet header past the lame Thibaut Courtois to push extra-time. Mourinho rumbled at his relaxed players – Blanc cajoled his distressed staff. However, with a truly bizarre handball, Thiago Silva gifted Chelsea a penalty they didn't deserve, eagerly dispatched by Hazard in the 96th minute. Instead of taking that gift, Chelsea plodded around their defence until Thiago Silva killed the tie and completed the comeback with a brilliant 114th-minute header.
It was probably the champions' worst performance in a season they only lost 4 matches in.
#1 Chelsea (1) 1-1 (1) Barcelona, 2009
The name “Tom-Henning Ovrebo” will forever stand as a synonym for ineptitude and robbery in Blues folklore.
The man in the dugout was the same as the man today. Guus Hiddink had just come in to parachute the club into the Champions League semi-finals in 2009 and clambering unstoppably up the table. They faced what was to become the finest Barcelona side in history - and held them at the Camp Nou with an unparalleled defensive performance - a total shutout. So when the Catalans came to Stamford Bridge, they were eager to find a more open Chelsea – and boy did they get it!
In a brilliant display of physical domination, intelligence and lightning counter-attacks, Chelsea sliced Barcelona apart numerous times. Their goal came from Essien (who would once again be greatly influential in the game) – as he scored out of nowhere with an unstoppable rocket from outside the box that shattered Valdes’ goal. Sensing the pressure, Barcelona got much more desperate in their attacking, leaving spaces for Chelsea to expose at the back. Four to five clear penalties for the home side were either outright ignored or in one instance, dragged outside the box. Just for good measure, Eric Abidal was sent off for a light touch on Anelka.
As the nervousness began to affect Chelsea more, they missed more and more great chances. Guardiola ratcheted up the pressure, as even former Chelsea hero Eidur-Gudjohnsen readied himself to come on. Chelsea's backline stood as firm as ever, but then a single slip ruined their dreams of a rematch in the final with United. Michael Essien failed to blast his clearance out of the way late in the match. The world’s finest player stood lurking, and he passed the ball out to Iniesta. Without doubting himself he put his foot right through it and gave Barcelona the lead with an away goal. Cue the flying shirts and roaring celebrations.
There was still time for more controversy though, as future Chelsea striker Eto’o blocked a goal-bound Ballack shot with his hand right at the death, infuriating the German captain.
Amidst Drogba's public fury, Ballack's unforgettable rage at Ovrebo and the crushing sense of robbery that hung around the club that night, John Terry maintained the club's dignity. In the midst of joyous Barcelona players, he represented the club with aplomb. Guardiola didn't forget to commend his class, saying later, “I want to thank John Terry for coming into the dressing room and congratulating us...He is a true gentleman.”
