John Terry heaped praise on Chelsea hero, Didier Drogba, after the striker’s winning goal handed the Londoners a 1-0 advantage in their Champions League semi-final tie against Barcelona.
The Ivorian frontman swept home the only goal of the game just before half time, getting on the end of a Ramires cross to send Stamford Bridge into raptures. It was a lead that Chelsea managed to hang onto, fending off wave upon wave of Barcelona attack.
Roberto Di Matteo’s men produced the kind of defensive display they will need to repeat at the Camp Nou, next week, if they are going to surprise the Champions League odds and progress to the final.
Drogba’s goal came at the end of a half that had seen the striker put himself about without any rewards. The 34-year old deserved his goal, and weighed in with his fair share of defensive work when called upon.
Many had predicted Drogba would struggle to follow up his match winning performance the previous weekend, against Spurs, with another in the same week. The former Marseilles star proved those doubters wrong, however, making it clear that he is still capable of producing the goods on the big occasions.
While some believe Drogba’s Chelsea career is ending, his captain admitted the striker is still an essential part of the team’s plans. Terry admitted that the victory against Barcelona had not been easy, praising the defensive effort put in by the whole team.
“We had to be very patient, I don't think we touched the ball for the first 15 minutes but from Didi on his own up front, the midfield and defence, it was a great team performance.”
“Didier is all about these big nights, the big occasions. He put fear into the Spurs defence, at the weekend, and he did that again tonight.”
“He was up there on his own against some of best defenders in world and he did it brilliantly”, said Terry. Whether the player can replicate his performance at the Bridge in the Premier League is debatable. However, ‘Didi’ remains a popular conversation topic over at Betfair Premier League.
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