Soccer:Chelsea could only manage a 1-1 draw against Racing Genk at the Cristal Arena and were left to rue a missed penalty from centre half David Luiz. The Belgian club, who had only one point before last night's game, came from a goal down to earn a memorable draw.
Ramires’ fourth goal of the season put Chelsea ahead but the victory that would have guaranteed qualification for the play-offs eluded the visitors. It was to prove a disappointing night for the English club on and off the pitch.
John Terry started on the bench for Chelsea on a day the Metropolitan Police confirmed they had launched a formal investigation into allegations he racially abused QPR defender Anton Ferdinand.
Blues and England captain Terry, who has protested his innocence, was withdrawn from the limelight for the Group E match, with manager Andre Villas-Boas reverting largely to the team that thrashed the same opponents two weeks earlier.
The only change from that line-up saw Ramires replace Frank Lampard, while Genk’s three changes after their 5-0 defeat saw Nadson, Kennedy Nwanganga and Fabien Camus all drafted in.
Chelsea had been hoping to put what had been a nightmare week behind them tonight by getting the three points that could seal their place in the Champions League knockout phase with two matches to spare.
The English club played with a high back line and were exposed inside five minutes when Camus almost raced clear. Indeed, a more adventurous Genk were much improved from Stamford Bridge, while the visitors were struggling to find their rhythm or seriously test goalkeeper Laszlo Koteles.
They were almost caught out from a corner when an unmarked Khaleem Hyland sent a weak header at Petr Cech after 20 minutes and Genk soon got in behind them again but, unlike Arsenal, lacked the quality to punish their opponents.
The same could not be said for Chelsea, who finally pounced in the 25th minute when Ramires played a lovely one-two with Fernando Torres, burst into the box and drilled the ball underneath Koteles from a tight angle.
Ramires should have doubled his own tally 10 minutes before the break when he nodded Ashley Cole’s back-post cross wide after more good work from Torres and Anthony Vanden Borre almost put the ball in his own net from Florent Malouda’s cutback.
That was set up by a brilliant reverse pass from Raul Meireles, who rattled the crossbar with an even better 25-yard shot. A second goal appeared inevitable and looked to have arrived six minutes from the break when Thomas Buffel handled Malouda’s cross in the box. David Luiz strangely took the penalty but Koteles guessed right and pushed the ball to safety.
Genk should have equalised in the 54th minute when Vanden Borre carried the ball 40 yards before threading in Nwanganga but the striker’s finish was too close to Cech.
Kevin De Bruyne, who has long been linked with Chelsea, was giving a better account of himself than he had two weeks earlier and he was involved as Genk levelled just past the hour mark.
As against Arsenal, it was Chelsea’s right-hand side that was exposed, De Bruyne playing the ball to Camus, whose cutback was swept home all too easily Jelle Vossen.
Villas-Boas quickly responded by withdrawing Nicolas Anelka and Ramires for Daniel Sturridge and Frank Lampard, with Genk soon taking off Buffel for Dugary Ndabshinze.
Genk:Koteles, Vanden Borre, Hyland, Nadson, Ngcongca, Tozser, Buffel, Camus, De Bruyne, Vossen, Nwanganga. Subs: Sandomierski, Barda, Dugary, Sarr, Durwael, Limbombe, Ofori-Appiah.
Chelsea:Cech, Bosingwa, Luiz, Ivanovic, Cole, Ramires, Romeu, Meireles, Malouda, Torres, Anelka. Subs: Turnbull, Lampard, Mata, McEachran, Kalou, Sturridge, Terry.
Referee:Svein Oddvar Moen (Norway)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/YVIRIOZQ35EWRPZXR27KGMO6YU.png)