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CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: Deivid crowns Fenerbahçe fightback

/noticias.info/ Deivid's spectacular long-range strike nine minutes from time gave Fenerbahçe SK a UEFA Champions League quarter-final first-leg win over Chelsea FC which had seemed most unlikely when the same player scored an early own goal.

Tide turned
Chelsea, with three victories at this stage of the competition in the last five seasons, had looked in control after that opening gift. But having been under pressure for much of the first half, the knockout phase debutants responded after the break and London-born substitute Kazım Kazım turned the tide with a neat left-footed finish. Sixteen minutes later came Deivid's moment of redemption, leaving next Tuesday's return match at Stamford Bridge perfectly poised.

Wide men
The expectation surrounding the biggest European night in their 100-year history had Fenerbahçe fans thronging outside the Sükrü Saraçoglu Stadium from early afternoon and, by the kick-off, fervent would be a severe understatement of the atmosphere. With the hosts' regular full-backs Gökhan Gönül and Roberto Carlos absent through suspension and injury respectively, Chelsea manager Avram Grant opted to test their replacements, Önder Turacı and Gökçek Vederson, by deploying Florent Malouda and Joe Cole in advanced wide roles. The Englishman had an early chance but Volkan Demirel was wise to his chip.

Own goal
In fact it was Malouda, making his first start since 8 March, who created the opening goal. The French international, chasing a clever Frank Lampard back-heel, cut his cross back in the area and Deivid turned the ball inside his own near post. Remarkably, for the third consecutive UEFA Champions League game here, the visitors' breakthrough goal had come from a home player. Michael Essien, starting at right-back for Chelsea, then advanced forward and his powerful drive skimmed the crossbar.

Drogba threat
Former Chelsea forward Mateja Kežman cut an isolated figure as Fenerbahçe's lone striker, although a Mehmet Aurélio centre flew just behind him in the box. By contrast, his busy counterpart Didier Drogba headed Essien's delivery narrowly wide and also stung Volkan Demirel's hands with an angled shot. Home midfielder Claudio Maldonado was having to spend much of his UEFA competition debut in defence, while Carlo Cudicini, continuing in the Chelsea goal for the injured Petr Čech, had a more straightforward first period.

Revamp
Fenerbahçe looked more dangerous early in the second half when a testing Önder Turacı cross somehow eluded captain Alex. Drogba replied in kind, again forcing Volkan Demirel to save, before Zico decided to revamp his attack with the introduction of Kazım Kazım. A well-worked corner ended with Kežman's overhead effort being blocked by Cudicini, but again Chelsea moved forward and Lampard's teasing free-kick was nodded over by Ricardo Carvalho.

Equaliser
Volkan Demirel dived to stop Michael Ballack's attempt from distance, and in similar circumstances Alex made Cudicini work. Soon after, the Italian was finally beaten as a superb Mehmet Aurélio pass from halfway sent Kazım Kazım clear – the substitute coolly controlling the ball and driving it into the net to level matters. Ballack nearly restored the Londoners' lead, but again Volkan Demirel was in the right place.

Winner
Unsurprisingly, the volume inside the arena was now ear-splitting and Deivid was unlucky not to turn it up further as he just misjudged an acrobatic strike similar to the one that stunned FC Internazionale Milano on Matchday 1. Yet something more spectacular still was coming, a shot from 30 metres that swerved beyond Cudicini's dive to give the Turkish title-holders their fifth successive home win in this season's competition and the edge in the tie. notas_de_prensa_archivo