Played
August 4, 2013 11:30 PM WAT
Player Ratings: AC Milan 0-2 Chelsea
A fine finish from Kevin De Bruyne and a sublime volley from
Andre Schurrle proved enough for the Blues to book a mouthwatering
Guinness Cup final encounter with Real Madrid
By Husmukh Kerai
-
Christian Abbiati
Made a few decent saves throughout the game
and could not really do anything about the two Chelsea goals which were
clinically taken.
-
Urby Emanuelson
Deployed as a full-back the Dutchman didn't
look very comfortable at the back. His intention was always to get on
the front foot and that often led to poor defensive decisions.
-
Matías Silvestre
Got himself booked for a late lunging tackle
on Ramires when things looked dangerous for his side. That made him
defend nervously from then on, putting a dampener on his performance.
-
Cristian Zapata
Didn't have a good time against the Chelsea
attack and was found wanting positionally on a couple of occasions. He
didn't receive much help from those in front of him, though.
-
Luca Antonini
Did a good job in the air and wasn't at
fault for too much individually but the Milan backline as a unit was
there to be attacked throughout the match.
-
Kevin-Prince Boateng
Wasted a number of chances for his side as
he snatched at all his opportunities. He did well to get himself in
dangerous situations but had no luck in front of goal on the night.
-
Sulley Ali Muntari
One of Milan's better performers the Ghana
international was the Italian side's biggest influence in midfield. He
tried to create from midfield and join in on the attacks and overall
made a good contribution.
-
Nigel De Jong
The Dutchman was tasked with disrupting the
passing triangles of the likes of Oscar, Hazard and Mata, but he was
overrun by the Blues midfield and often had to resort to fouls to halt
their attacks.
-
Riccardo Montolivo
We didn't see the best of the Italy
international. Played one or two clever passes along the way but didn't
see enough of the ball to really influence proceeding like he would have
wished.
-
Stephan El Shaarawy
Started really brightly for the Italians but
then disappeared from the action as the game went on. He never managed
to find an understanding with Balotelli.
-
Mario Balotelli
He was involved in Milan's best chance of
the match but a certain goal was taken off of his foot by Ivanovic. He
didn't have as much joy as he would expected against the impressive
Chelsea defence.
Substitutions
-
Cristian Zaccardo
Came on to bolster the Milan backline but could help stem the flow of Chelsea attacks.
-
Davide Pacifico
The youngster came on as a fresh pair of
legs in the final 15 minutes and didn't have a good time against a
rampant Chelsea attack.
-
Kevin Constant
Gave Milan a bit of a boost when he came on by injecting a bit of pace into their attacks down the flanks.
-
Antonio Nocerino
Had a brilliant chance to equalise for the
Italians but he couldn't direct his header after he head beaten Mark
Schwarzer in the air to meet Niang's cross.
-
L. Niang
Probably Milan's best player of the night.
The forward saw plenty of the ball and pulled off a couple of nice turns
inside the box but all his efforts we closed down by Chelsea defenders.
He also drifted out to the right wing with good effect.
-
Andrea Petagna
The 18-year-old was given a chance in the
second half when he replaced Baloteli but sadly he was unable to stamp
his authority on the game.
-
Kingsley Boateng
Replaced his namesake for the final few minutes but never got on the ball bar a few touches.
-
Petr Cech
Played the first half for the Blues and made
one crucial interception when he palmed away a goal-bound shot from
Sulley Muntari. Untroubled apart from that.
-
Ryan Bertrand
Rarely got up the pitch from his full-back
position as he often does. His work from a defensive point of view was
reliable and done with minimal fuss.
-
Gary Cahill
The England international was supreme for
Jose Mourinho's men at the back. He made countless blocks in the second
half to protect Mark Schwarzer and thwart Milan's attacks.
-
Branislav Ivanovic
Played the first half at centre-back for the
Blues before seamlessly shifting out to right-back after the break. He
won plenty of aerial duels and defended well generally throughout. Came
close to scoring from a few set-pieces.
-
César Azpilicueta
Had a busy first period where he tried three
shots from different angles without any success. His passing and
interchange was as sharp and clever as ever but final product evaded him
on the night.
-
Oscar
Had a busy first period where he tried three
shots from different angles without any success. His passing and
interchange was as sharp and clever as ever but final product evaded him
on the night.
-
Kevin De Bruyne
The young Belgian will be delighted with his
performance. He was reliable in possession and full of movement while
he was on the pitch and took his goal with style and precision.
-
Michael Essien
Became locked in a midfield war with Nigel
de Jong during the match and for the most part did better than the
Dutchman in breaking up the opposition's attacks.
-
Marco van Ginkel
The new arrival from Vitesse looks a good
acquisition on the evidence of this match. His tackling and anticipation
of danger caught the eye and he also showed the physical capability of
running through midfield.
-
Eden Hazard
Delighted the MetLife Stadium with a couple
of moments of outrageous skill. Played a fine part in the first goal and
was one of the more influential players of the first half.
-
Demba Ba
The Senegalese seemed a bit too eager to
impress at times as he tried tirelessly to work a chance outside the
box. His work inside the area was good, his best chance should have been
headed away from Abbiati rather than at him.
Substitutions
-
Mark Schwarzer
Came on for Cech after the break and didn't
have much to do because of the good work of Cahill and John Terry in
front of him. Had trouble with one Niang cross but Nocerino's header
sailed wide.
-
Ashley Cole
It was an understated perfomance from the
now veteran full-back. He defended superbly as part of Chelsea's
impenetrable back four. He rarely ventured into the final third as
Chelsea were comfortable with their one-goal lead.
-
John Terry
Came on at half time and put in an excellent
shift for his side alongside Cahill at the heart of Chelsea's defence.
Showed his still has some speed and agility in couple of last ditch
challenges.
-
Ramires
The Brazilian was typically energetic in his
box-to-box midfield role. One minute he was blocking his shot in his
own box and the next he was breaking in the opposition's area driving
Chelsea's attacks.
-
Juan Mata
Gave Chelsea a stronger hold on the match
when he was introduced in the second period. Played a couple of lovely
passes into Torres and as always, used the ball brilliantly.
-
John Obi Mikel
Came on for the second half and bolted up the midfield alongside Essien to help Chelsea close out the win.
-
Fernando Torres
Had a mixed half. Misplaced one or two
crosses and struggled to find a shot on target but some of his approach
play was exemplary and he was unlucky not to claim an assist.
-
Victor Moses
Made a real impact when he was introduced.
His powerful running caused havoc in the Milan defence. His cross for
Schurrle's goal was superb and he could have even had one of his own.
-
Romelu Lukaku
Came on with moments to go for a run out as Chelsea closed out the victory.
-
Andre Schürrle
Bagged his first goal in Chelsea shirt with a
brilliantly struck volley into the bottom corner of the net showing
superb technique. His general passing and movement was neat and tidy. ------------------ goal.com
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