FULL TIME Maccabi Tel Aviv 0-4 Chelsea
That’s that. Chelsea weren’t always convincing, but pulled away in the closing quarter to register an ultimately impressive scoreline. Meanwhile a 2-0 victory for Dynamo Kyiv at Porto means Jose Mourinho’s side only need a point in their final game against the Portuguese at Stamford Bridge to win the group. That should be quite a clash, Mourinho’s former allegiances aside, because Porto will require a win to guarantee their own progress. Maccabi, still pointless, are of course out - but all of the other teams in Group G can make it through. It should be quite a ride in a fortnight’s time.
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90 min +2: Diego Costa is sent into acres of space down the left. He should score but his shot balloons into the air. Rajkovic rises to punch clear, and is clattered - accidentally - by Remy. He’s severely winded, but after a little attention gets back up.
GOAL! Maccabi Tel Aviv 0-4 Chelsea (Zouma 90+1)
The first of three added minutes sees Azpilicueta find Diego Costa to the right of goal. His shot, from a tight angle, is deflected wide for a corner. The set piece is sent high into the middle of the area, where Zouma rises to crash a downward header off the keeper’s knee and home.
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90 min: Azulay is immediately in the thick of it, his long-range shot deflected out on the left for a corner. From the set piece, Carlos Garcia rises and whistles a header inches wide left. The hosts could easily have had a goal or two this evening.
89 min: Azulay comes on for Zahavi.
88 min: Pedro goes for the bottom left again, after dancing with style down the inside-right channel and making it into the area. So close, bothering the paint on the outside of the left-hand post. Another brilliant effort.
86 min: Pedro cuts in from the right and curls a superb low shot inches wide of the left-hand post. Rajkovic might have had that covered were it on target, but it would have been a close-run thing.
85 min: Alberman is replaced by Azulay.
84 min: The excellent Baba finds more space down the left, but his low cross can’t find a slightly flat-footed Diego Costa. Then Fabregas goes chasing after a loose ball down the right. He flies in studs up on Ben Harush, and catches his man late. He’s lucky to be only seeing yellow. What a pointless lunge at this stage, with the match won. Despite the scoreline, Chelsea don’t seem a particularly happy collective. A lot of frowning, and a slight edge in the air.
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83 min: Igiebor catches Fabregas, who has adroitly turned him in the centre circle. He’s lucky to escape a booking.
82 min: Fabregas bursts down the right, then switches play to Diego Costa on the left-hand corner of the home penalty box. The striker very nearly bursts through two challenges, but loses control as he barges past. He wears the look of a frustrated man.
80 min: Ben Chaim is replaced by Ben Basat. The travelling fans belt out an ode in support of their manager.
79 min: Willian, his work here done, is withdrawn in favour of Remy.
GOAL! Maccabi Tel Aviv 0-3 Chelsea (Oscar 77)
Baba makes good down the left, and curls an inviting cross into the area. Oscar turned down a gilt-edged invitation to score a minute ago, but this time he plants a header past Rajkovic from six yards out. What a cross that was.
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76 min: Fabregas floats a gorgeous ball over the top of the Maccabi defence, releasing Oscar down the inside-right channel. He’s in the area and should shoot, but tries to flick the ball back for ... nobody. But no matter, because ...
75 min: Baba and Dasa tangle down the right, just by the Chelsea area. Free kick to Maccabi. Rikan stands over the ball. The hosts load the box. The delivery’s not too good, but Chelsea fail to clear, and Rikan is afforded a snapshot from a tight angle. That’s not all that great either, and the visitors finally get rid.
GOAL! Maccabi Tel Aviv 0-2 Chelsea (Willian 73)
Willian is a set-piece genius. Chelsea’s best player this season whips the free kick up and over the wall, and back down into the bottom-left corner. The excellent Rajkovic was rooted to the spot. Sheer brilliance!
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72 min: Before the set piece can be taken, Terry is stretchered off, having earlier fallen heavily on his hip in an innocent tangle with Alberman. Zouma comes on for the Chelsea captain.
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70 min: Fabregas hooks a high ball down the left for Diego Costa. The striker should power into the area, but doesn’t look particularly committed. Maccabi clear. But then Chelsea recycle the ball, and Willian is barged off it by Alberman. Free kick, just to the left of the D.
68 min: Chelsea make their first change of the evening. A frowning Hazard is hooked, Pedro coming on in his stead.
65 min: Derlis González has made it 2-0 for Dynamo Kiev in Porto! It’s looking ever more likely that nobody will qualify from this group this evening.
63 min: And then Rajkovic parries clear again, Azpilicueta cutting in from the right to meet a Baba left-wing cross on the volley. It’s a pearler of an effort, but an even better save. Then suddenly the hosts are attacking on the break! Zahavi romps down the right - where on earth is Chelsea’s defence? - and belts a shot goalwards from a not particularly inviting angle. It’s going in, though, and Begovic is forced to fingertip round the left-hand post! The corner comes to nothing, but what a determined display this is from the undermanned hosts!
62 min: Corner for Chelsea down the left. A lot of childish pushing in the box. The referee delivers a lecture. Eventually Willian takes. Rajkovic punches clear. But the ball’s soon coming back at the hosts, and Hazard, to the right of the penalty spot and aiming for the bottom left, is denied by a superlative full-length save from Rajkovic.
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59 min: Alberman dribbles down the middle of the park, and goes over Matic’s leg, hung out cynically. The Chelsea midfielder is booked, and doesn’t bother arguing. The free kick by Zahavi, in front of the centre circle, drops on the right-hand corner of the Chelsea six-yard box. If Peretz connected, or even trapped, Chelsea were in all sorts of trouble. But he allows the ball to harmlessly fly out of play. Ten-man Maccabi could have had a goal or two since the restart.
57 min: Fabregas strokes a lovely ball down the right to release Azpilcueta into the box. The full back reaches the white line and pulls a ball back, but it sails inches behind Diego Costa on the penalty spot.
55 min: Matic sliderules Baba free down the left. Baba reaches the byline and pulls the ball back for Hazard, who lets the ball clank off his shins and out of play to the left of goal from close range. Chelsea haven’t quite clicked since the restart, despite their numerical advantage.
53 min: Ben Chaim isn’t far away from latching onto a basic long ball down the middle. Begovic comes out to claim.
52 min: Hazard embarks on a high-speed baroque ramble down the left, and into the area. Igiebor nips at his ankles. Hazard stays honest, though he was within his rights to go down and claim what would surely have been a certain penalty. He finds Diego Costa ahead of him, and the striker’s offside. Diego Costa gets involved in a nose-to-nose staring match with Dasa. It threatens to kick off, but doesn’t.
50 min: Alberman, to the left of the centre circle, sprays the ball of the evening towards Baba on the right wing. Baba’s clear in acres, though the weight of the pass drives him wide. He’s one on one with Begovic, but the keeper is favourite thanks to the tight angle, and parries away for a corner. The set piece comes to nothing. On the touchline, Mourinho does a little dance of extreme irritation, Hazard having left his defensive post there. That could easily have been the equaliser.
48 min: Willian plays a loose pass in the midfield, allowing Ben Chaim to tear off down the left. He’s brought down by a backtracking Willian, but the referee sees nothing wrong with the challenge, and waves play on. It’s not the most popular decision of the evening.
47 min: Matic feeds the ball down the inside-left channel for Oscar, who miscontrols and mistimes his run, the offside flag pinging up.
And we're off again!
The hosts get the second half underway. No changes. Which is a slight surprise, given that an underperforming Diego Costa was engaged in a full and frank exchange of views with Mourinho on the way to the dressing room, and Loic Remy was sent out during the break to warm up. But it’s as you were.
Half-time entertainment: Never mind Adele, the hottest new release right now is I Am A Video by the “eccentric but entirely sane English cult synth-rocker” Gary Le Strange. This showcases the New Romantic legend’s hitherto unheralded footballing skills at the 2m 16s mark. The Christmas number one? Stranger things have happened, pop pickers.
HALF TIME: Maccabi Tel Aviv 0-1 Chelsea
Chelsea are dominant, a goal up, and they’ve got a man advantage. Yes, this could be a long second half for the hosts.
45 min: Willian, Hazard and Fabregas over-elaborate down the inside-left channel, with Maccabi extremely light at the back. Fabregas scoops the ball over the top with the intention of finding Hazard, but it sails harmlessly into the arms of Rajkovic. Mourinho doesn’t look particularly happy with that, either.
44 min: This could turn into a long night for the hosts. Oscar turns Carlos Garcia this way and that down the left. Corner. Chelsea play it short, and bugger it up. On the touchline, Mourinho’s look of disgust is priceless.
43 min: Well that’s taken the wind out of the home supporters’ sails. The stadium’s fallen quiet. Chelsea win a corner down the right. From the set piece, Hazard has a dig from 20 yards, but his shot dribbles through to Rajkovic.
RED CARD! Ben Haim (40)
The former Chelsea man is sent packing. He’s chasing after Diego Costa in the midfield, nipping at his heels. The red mist comes down, and after a couple of probing kicks, lashes at the striker wildly. What a preposterous challenge. Costa was going backwards! The minute Ben Haim kicked his opponent, he raised his hands to his face in horror. He knew exactly what was coming, and the referee didn’t prove him wrong. What top-drawer idiocy.
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38 min: Some bad news for Chelsea in Porto. An Andriy Yarmolenko penalty has given Dynamo Kyiv the lead. A win for the Ukrainian side would mean Chelsea can’t seal qualification tonight. Meanwhile back on the field. Fabregas flicks the ball down the inside-left channel for Diego Costa, who nearly powers home, but his shot is deflected away. From the resulting corner, Baba skelps an ambitious shot over the bar from quite some distance out on the left.
36 min: Willian goes chasing a long ball down the right. He’s got no support, so holds it up and buys a cheap free kick. Chelsea load the box. Willan whips it in, towards Matic on the edge of the six-yard box. Rajkovic comes off his line and punches clear with some venom. That was very clever play by the consistently excellent Willian, who had no options whatsoever and made something out of nothing.
34 min: A piss-poor clearance down the left by Fabregas, and Dasa is allowed to scoot clear down the right. He’s got Zahavi free on the penalty spot, but can’t find his man. The ball breaks to Ben Harush, 20 yards out. Ben Harush flashes a dreadful effort high and miles wide right. Chelsea would have been punished by a better team.
32 min: Chelsea are beginning to ping it around in pretty triangles like Barcelona. Roman will be delighted. Oscar, Fabregas and Diego Costa knock it around down the inside-left channel, nearly setting up Hazard on the penalty spot. Bel Haim hacks clear. Then Oscar comes at Maccabi again, down the left, and flashes a wild shot over the bar. This is very easy on the eye.
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29 min: Matic nearly sends Hazard clear with a lovely reverse pass down the right. Again Hazard can’t quite take advantage. He lays off to Willian, who feeds Azpilicueta down the flank. The full back crosses deep. Diego Costa connects, level with the left-hand post, and flashes an overhead kick wide left and high. Nearly a picture-book goal.
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27 min: This is better from the home side. Igiebor, in a central position, slide a pass out to the right, where Peretz battles to force a corner off Baba. But the set piece is a nonsense, Bel Chaim hoicking an absurd rugby-style garryowen to the left flank, allowing Chelsea to sweep clear without fuss or fear.
25 min: It was a bright start from the hosts, but they’re doing very little up front right now. Igiebor tries to power down the left flank, but he soon loses control when faced with a solid blue line. “Defenders scoring? Jose’s Chelsea is back!” whoops Matt Leonard. “If only it was another defender who crossed it.” Yes. If only Cahill could have crossed it to himself.
23 min: Willian skitters inside from the right, beating a couple of challenges with some lovely ball-on-string control. He feeds the ball to Fabregas, who shuttles it left for Hazard. There’s a lot of space over there, but Hazard can’t quite get his feet into place for a shot on goal, so flicks the ball back for Fabregas, who takes it in the face, running it out of play. That move promised more. But Chelsea are totally on top here.
GOAL! Maccabi Tel Aviv 0-1 Chelsea (Cahill 20)
Oscar earns a corner down the right. Willian whips it in. Cahill rises to plant a header goalwards from six yards. That’d go in 99 times out of 100, but Rajkovic scoops it off the line majestically. Unfortunately for the keeper, the ball clanks onto the left-hand post, and back to Cahill, who forces the ball over the line. That had been coming.
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19 min: Willian, to the right of the Maccabi box, pulls a ball back to Fabregas on the corner of the area. Fabregas nearly finds the top left with a floating diagonal chip. It’s an exquisite effort, with Rajkovic in the Maccabi goal rooted to the spot. But it drifts over the bar.
17 min: Chelsea are having a good old look at this Maccabi defence. Oscar and Diego Costa enter the area down the right together. It’s almost like a rolling maul. Azpilicueta joins in. They nearly bust through a yellow wall, but Carlos Garcia holds firm.
15 min: After a shaky start, Chelsea are beginning to dominate now. Hazard cuts in from the right only to see his shot from the edge of the box blocked. Fabregas slides a pass down the left for Baba, who looks for Willian in the middle, but his cross is intercepted by Alberman.
13 min: Azpilicueta takes a throw deep in Maccabi territory down the right. He finds Fabregas, who hugs the byline to the right of goal, before pulling a short pass back for Diego Costa. The striker can’t quite get a shot away at the near post, and the ball’s deflected away from danger.
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11 min: Diego Costa sends Baba into space down the left. Baba whips a cross through the six-yard box. It’s a beauty of a cross, but there’s nobody in blue taking a chance on it. Anyone piling forward would have been rewarded with a tap-in. Oscar tries to keep the move going on the right, but only with an over-elaborate back-heel. If he’d taken things a bit more seriously, Chelsea might have still been onto something.
10 min: A bit more possession for Chelsea, as they stroke it around the middle of the park for a bit. They don’t really go anywhere, but that’s not really the point. They frustrate the crowd to the point of whistles, while calming down on-pitch proceedings, the home side having come at them with purpose in the early stages.
7 min: Azpilicueta and Oscar combine cleverly down the right. The former rolls the ball down the wing for the latter, who returns it with a dinky back heel. Azpilicueta glides into the box, and attempts to curl one into the top left. It’s wide and high, but not by much. A lovely effort, and that’s much better from Chelsea.
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5 min: Another Chelsea attack, but this one nearly leads to a Maccabi goal. Willian loses the ball, allowing Ben Chaim and Zahavi to tear upfield. Zahavi causes trouble inside the Chelsea area on the left. He cuts the ball back for Alberman on the edge of the area. Alberman should shoot, but dumps responsibility on Dasa to his right. Dasa slashes wildly wide right. This is not Champions League winning defending by Chelsea.
3 min: Chelsea respond with an immediate attack up the other end. Oscar very nearly makes space for a shot by cutting in from the right, but he’s closed down quickly enough.
2 min: Nearly a perfect start for the hosts! Ben Chaim goes on a romp down the right and wins a throw off Baba Rahman. He gets the ball back, and whips a cross to the near post. Peretz rises highest, on the right-hand corner of the six-yard box, and should at least make Begovic work. But he flashes his header over. What a chance!
And we're off!
There’s a rare old atmosphere in the Sammy Ofer Stadium as Chelsea get the ball rolling. A few blue dots stroke it around the back awhile. The television camera appears to be positioned back in Tel Aviv. And it’s set far too high, as well. [Disclaimer: the Guardian accepts no responsibility for any cases of vertigo caused by the reading of this MBM report.]
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The teams are out! The players take to the field on a mild, clear night after a lovely warm day in Haifa. The hosts wear their first choice kit, predominantly yellow though the shirt front is half blue. The yellow dominates to an extent that Chelsea can still sport their famous first-choice colours. We’ll be off in a minute, but before that, a quick word on the state of the pitch Jose was banging on about, from our man in situ, Dominic Fifield: “Pitch looks pretty ropey. Sand in one goalmouth. Mud in the other. Looks as if it will cut up quite quickly.”
Jose’s been on the talk! And he’s been asked what sort of threat is posed exactly by the only team yet to earn a point in this season’s Champions League. “If you watch Maccabi’s matches carefully, they did enough to earn a point. They are a better side than most people think. They are a better side than some teams with victories and points. Their pitch is really bad, and with the support of a stadium that is behind them, we are not waiting for an easy match. We have to make sure that we qualify. We have fresh full-backs. I demand a lot from them in attack and tracking back into defensive positions, and it will not be easy on a pitch that is not good for runners. We don’t want to go to the Europa League, we want to stay in the Champions League, and that is why we have to win this match.”
Four changes to the Chelsea starting XI named against Norwich City at the weekend. Out go Kurt Zouma, Branislav Ivanovic, Kenedy and Pedro; in come Abdul Baba Rahman, Cesar Azpilicueta, Gary Cahill and Oscar.
The hosts and champions of Israel welcome back winger Tal Ben Haim from injury. He takes his place in the Maccabi starting XI alongside central defender and former Chelsea and Bolton Wanderers star Tal Ben Haim. You can spot the potential for confusion here. The defender gets first dibs on the name as the older man; the younger player styles himself as Ben Chaim to make life a little easier for all concerned.
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Tonight's teams
Maccabi Tel Aviv: Rajkovic, Dasa, Ben Haim, Carlos Garcia, Ben Harush, Igiebor, Alberman, Peretz, Ben Chaim, Rikan, Zahavi.
Subs: Lifshitz, Ben Basat, Itzhaki, Azulay, Tibi, Mitrovic, Vermouth.
Chelsea: Begovic, Azpilicueta, Cahill, Terry, Baba Rahman, Fabregas, Matic, Oscar, Willian, Diego Costa, Hazard.
Subs: Blackman, Ivanovic, Zouma, Mikel, Pedro, Remy, Loftus-Cheek.
Referee: Alberto Undiano Mallenco (Spain).
🎼 ♫ Ce sont les meilleures équipes! Es sind die allerbesten Mannschaften!! The main event!!! ♪♫
Chelsea’s defence of their Premier League and League Cup titles haven’t exactly gone as planned, but as Crisis Seasons go, things could be worse. Should they win tonight at Maccabi Tel Aviv, and if Dynamo Kyiv fail to match that result at Porto, Chelsea will have qualified for the knockout stages of this year’s Champions League. Here, they were flailing around on the domestic scene in 2011-12, too, weren’t they? And look what happened then.
Victory tonight is very much on the cards. Chelsea eased to a 4-0 win when these teams met in September. Maccabi have lost every single game in this year’s competition. And Jose Mourinho’s side are, according to the man himself, slowly “getting their confidence back”. They beat Dynamo in their last Champions League game, were frankly unfortunate to lose at Stoke City in the Premier League, then on Saturday registered their first league win in a month against Norwich City. Thin gruel for a team used to tearing flesh off the bone at the top table, perhaps, but when things haven’t been going so well, you’ve got to take any positives going.
Reaching the next stage of Europe’s premier club competition would be one hell of a boost. “We are OK,” says Mourinho. “Everything is in our hands. If we play like we have been doing, we can win. It’s simple. If we lose, we are in trouble. If we draw, we can qualify in the last game. If we win, great chance to finish first.” It’s on!
Kick off: 9.45pm at the Sammy Ofer Stadium in Haifa, 7.45pm for those watching back home in London.
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