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Champs League: Valencia eliminated
Chelsea and Valencia played out a 0-0 draw on Tuesday that left the Spanish team eliminated from the Champions League.
- Associated Press
- Updated: December 13, 2007 05:47 PM IST
Read Time:2 min
London:
Chelsea twice hit the post but had already clinched its place in the next round before the match at Stamford Bridge.
"We had enough chances and played some good stuff but we couldn't put it in the back of the net," midfielder Joe Cole said. "It was a good exercise for us."
Valencia finished last in Group B, missing out on the consolation spot in the UEFA Cup awarded to the third-place team.
The Blues, who lost to Liverpool in last season's semifinals, advanced with 12 points, seven more than Valencia - which finished last with four points and two goals from six matches.
Chelsea started with Andriy Shevchenko, Claudio Pizarro and Salomon Kalou in a three-man attack but still struggled to put Valencia under pressure despite dominating possession.
Shevchenko and Frank Lampard had Chelsea's best first-half chances. Shevchenko shot just wide of the post, while Lampard rounded off a sweeping counterattack with a header to Santiago Canizares.
The veteran goalkeeper also stopped a deflected shot by Pizarro before halftime, and Chelsea coach Avram Grant responded to his team's struggle by substituting Shevchenko at the interval.
Claude Makelele replaced the Ukraine striker as Chelsea shifted to a 4-4-2 formation, but Canizares continued to excel.
He was beaten by Kalou in the 64th, but the effort was ruled out because of offside, and Kalou then hit the bar from six meters (yards) when he was clear and unmarked in front of goal.
Chelsea attacked relentlessly and Cole hit the post in the 84th.
"I think we played brilliant football," Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech said.
Valencia, which finished last in its group and therefore failed to even get the consolation of a berth in the second-tier UEFA Cup, has now gone 441 minutes without a goal in the Champions League.
David Silva's effort in the ninth minute of Oct. 3's 2-1 home loss to Chelsea was the last European goal for Valencia, which also hasn't beat an opposition goalkeeper in 219 minutes of Spanish league play.
Chelsea and Valencia played out a 0-0 draw on Tuesday that left the Spanish team eliminated from the Champions League.Chelsea twice hit the post but had already clinched its place in the next round before the match at Stamford Bridge.
"We had enough chances and played some good stuff but we couldn't put it in the back of the net," midfielder Joe Cole said. "It was a good exercise for us."
Valencia finished last in Group B, missing out on the consolation spot in the UEFA Cup awarded to the third-place team.
The Blues, who lost to Liverpool in last season's semifinals, advanced with 12 points, seven more than Valencia - which finished last with four points and two goals from six matches.
Chelsea started with Andriy Shevchenko, Claudio Pizarro and Salomon Kalou in a three-man attack but still struggled to put Valencia under pressure despite dominating possession.
Shevchenko and Frank Lampard had Chelsea's best first-half chances. Shevchenko shot just wide of the post, while Lampard rounded off a sweeping counterattack with a header to Santiago Canizares.
The veteran goalkeeper also stopped a deflected shot by Pizarro before halftime, and Chelsea coach Avram Grant responded to his team's struggle by substituting Shevchenko at the interval.
Claude Makelele replaced the Ukraine striker as Chelsea shifted to a 4-4-2 formation, but Canizares continued to excel.
He was beaten by Kalou in the 64th, but the effort was ruled out because of offside, and Kalou then hit the bar from six meters (yards) when he was clear and unmarked in front of goal.
Chelsea attacked relentlessly and Cole hit the post in the 84th.
"I think we played brilliant football," Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech said.
Valencia, which finished last in its group and therefore failed to even get the consolation of a berth in the second-tier UEFA Cup, has now gone 441 minutes without a goal in the Champions League.
David Silva's effort in the ninth minute of Oct. 3's 2-1 home loss to Chelsea was the last European goal for Valencia, which also hasn't beat an opposition goalkeeper in 219 minutes of Spanish league play.
Topics mentioned in this article
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