Internazionale 2-1 Chelsea - as it happened

Preamble: Welcome. Throughout tonight's hijinks at the San Siro we could spend our time assessing Jose Mourinho's pouts, gaits and gesticulations and wondering exactly how they might affect this high-stakes tie. Will Chelsea players betray signs of split loyalties at facing their former mentor, concerns about incessant desertification or symptoms of the travel sickness that has resulted in them turning in some decidedly off-colour performances around the continent in recent times? But let's concentrate on the nitty-gritty: who kicks the ball, where and to whom; is Florent Malouda at left-back a tactical masterstroke or an invitation to Maicon to make a bungling fool of the Frenchman; is Wesley Sneijder is the wizard Inter fans want us to believe; how will John Terry and Ricardo Carvalho cope with high balls and an obvious comparison with Lucio; and at exactly which point will Inter bottle this? Teams: Inter Milan: Julio Cesar, Maicon, Samuel, Lucio, Zanetti, Stankovic, Cambiasso, Motta, Sneijder, Eto'o, Milito. Subs: Toldo, Cordoba, Quaresma, Muntari, Mariga, Pandev, Balotelli. Chelsea: Cech, Ivanovic, Carvalho, Terry, Malouda, Ballack, Mikel, Lampard, Anelka, Drogba, Kalou. Subs: Hilario, Joe Cole, Sturridge, Alex, Belletti, Bruma, Borini. First person that Jose will blame in the event of defeat: Manuel Enrique Mejuto Gonzalez (Spain) It's 7:19pm! A perfectly random time to kick off this commentary. "I am off to the only pub-like place in the Turkish town of Tasucu to watch the game," boasts Joe Clarke. "My prediction is they won't be showing it and I should be back with MBM by about mid-way through the first half." I foresee a furrowed brow and downturned corners on either side of Joe's mouth. 7:21pm: "I'm trying to watch this match on Google Earth," warbles Roderick Stewart. I bet all the players look like they have small faces on that. 7:24pm: Chelsea's line-up suggests to me that Ancelotti has decided that attack is the best form of defence, which is wise in my book, not merely because an away goal or two would virtually secure their passage to the quarter-finals but also because pushing Inter on to the back front makes the most sense when Malouda is nominally at left-back. Raymond Domenech tried to use him as a sort of defensive left-sided midfielder and he was diabolical. He needs to go forward. Say, this game may actually be exciting. 7:30pm: Let's listen to Justin Kavanagh. "What a fine entertainment empire the Russian has established on the Kings Road, surely now a rival for Bayern Munich's Hollywood F.C. as the most entertaining club in Europe?" chirps Justin. "In the last few weeks, Chelsea have given us A Bridge Too Far starring John Terry, Sleepless in Seattle with Ashley Cole, and now we have The Return of the King featuring the Special One Himself." 7:32pm: "It will be a relief to get on with the match amid all the blather in the press about the two managers' seeming homoerotic lust for each other," swoons Ian Copestake. It has been rather like a playground game of kiss-chasing, hasn't it? 7:35pm: "I think by saying that 'an away goal or two would virtually secure their passage to the quarter-finals' you are a bit over confident," admonishes Andy Butler. "Chelsea aren't invincible nor consistent of late!" Well yes, that's true. It's just that I have a nagging suspicion that Inter are plod. 7:37pm: The camera pans to the stadium for the first time and the din is incredible. It would be splendid if our TV overlords let us listen to that all throughout, rather than the commentators. 7:40pm: Fabio Capello is in the crowd. He is wearing an elegant coat and inscrutable expression. I thought you should know. 7:42pm: Many of you are puzzled as to why Zhirkov is not playing at left-back, nor even in the squad. The simple explanation is that he is injured. Do try to keep up. 1 min: "The time has come for the talking to stop," says Clive Tyldesley at the teams kick-off. Do you think there is any chance that he actually means that? 51 secs: Drogba is down in apparent agony following a tackle from Lucio. The replays don't reveal any significant contact, and the ref awards only a throw-in. Oh Didier ... 2 mins: Chelsea began vigorously but Inter's frantic pressing forces them backwards, and Carvalho winds up whacking the ball back to Cech from the halfway line. GOAL! Inter 1-0 Chelsea (Milito 3') That's a wonderful goal, greeted by an almighty explosion of noise in the San Siro. Eto'o set it up with a lovely feint and pass to Milito, who cut inside Terry very easily and, from eight yards, rocketed the ball past Cech at the near post. No jig down the sideline from Jose, who remains coolly impassive amid the euphoria. 5 mins: Chelsea are attempting to muster some sort of mordant response to that setback, and Malouda is being allowed to carry the ball forward down the left as Inter retreat deep. The move breaks down when Kalou lets the ball run away from him with a sloppy first touch and Lampard, in a bid to retrieve it, lunges at Stankovic to concede a freekick. 7 mins: Zanetti waltzes past Ballack on the left - that is really quite damning on the German - and exchanges passes with Sneijder ... but then his control lets him down and Chelsea are able to hoof clear. "Here are the requirements for all budding sideline managers," discloses helpful Michael Benson. "(1) dark coat or anorak (2) chewing gum (3)concerned look (4) corrugated forehead (5) messianic or maniancial demeanor (6) timely outrage." 9 mins: Thaigo Motta booked for a high tackle on Ballack. And as Ballack receives treatment, the replay shows some off-the-ball shenanigans involving Drogba and Samuel, who were barging and jostling with each other in the Inter box before, inevitably, Drogba went down. Looks like Jose has told his defenders not to allow themselves be bullied by the Ivorian. And all of that argy-bargy escaped the attention, or the interest, of the officials. 11 mins: Kalou gets off Chelsea's first shot of the game, showing quick feet to create space for himself at the edge of the area but then firing straight at the keeper. 13 mins: Milito finds space down the right and, with Ivanovic neglecting to close him down, he turns to get the ball on to his right foot and then spanks a cross towards Eto'o, who had peeled off at the back post. He sends his volley wide, however. 15 mins: Stankovic catches Ballack with a flailing arm, giving Chelsea a freekick in a promising position, ie about 25 yards out, a little to the left. And Drogba cracks it against the underside of the bar! It was an excellent effort and the keeper, at full stretch, didn't get a touch. He was lucky to see it bounce clear. 17 mins: Maicon aims a pass at Milito, who had dashed in behind Malouda. But it was over-hit, so Chelsea get away with it. 19 mins: Chelsea are growing into this game. Ballack has just brought a smart save from Julio Cesar with a swirler from distance, and moments later Drogba chested down a cross around the penalty spot, swivelled, and dragged his shot wide. The game is living up to its expectations, assuming you were optimistic enough to expect a high-paced, full-blooded thriller with a fair amount of quality to complement a frisson of of fallibility from both sides. "Inter is staying true to its name, seems like there are no good Italian players at Inter," whinges Rod Moya. "Not as if they are world champions or anything." 22 mins: Milito twists and turns his way into the box then hurls himself to the ground in the vicinity of Ricardo Carvalho, who diplomatically restrains his laughter. The ref is not so lenient, and brandishes a richly deserved yellow card. 23 mins: Kalou follows Milito into the book, and again there can be no disputing the ref's decision. It was an ill-timed slide by the Ivorian, all the way into Sneijder. 24 mins: A pause in the card exhibition enables Drogba to meet a Ballack cross on the volley, which flies well wide from the 18 yards. 26 mins: Kalou pulls free at the back post and Ballack tries to pick him out with a looped pass. The intent was laudable, the execution miserable. 27 mins: Kalou pushes over Lucio, gifting Inter the chance to alleviate the pressure that has been mounting over the last few minutes. He's been full of endeavour and ideas tonight, Kalou, but has too frequently let himself and his side down with over-exuberant challenges or shoddy first touches. 29 mins: For once the TV is GU Towers is not acting up ... or is it? According to my screen, Mikel has just romped forward and banged off a decent shot at Julio Cesar. Come back here tomorrow morning to read the reports from our guys who are actually at the game to find out whether that implausible event really did happen. 31 mins: Inter are building sandbags around their box, happy to let Chelsea amble up that far and then shoot from long range. Lampard obliges, and tonks one high over the bar. 33 mins: A rare excursion into Chelsea territory by Inter ... and it should have yielded a goal! Samuel opened up the defence with an astute long, low pass to Sneijder and from the left-hand side of the box the Dutchman picked out Eto'o, who had darted in front of a dozing Terry right in front of goal. And then, to the relief of England's recently defrocked captain, Eto'o swiped at fresh air! 36 mins: Terry is totally at sea here. Yet again a forward got the jump on him - this time Milito, who stole in behind the hapless Chelsea centreback to collect a lofted pass from Maicon ... and then miscontrolled it. 38 mins: Eto'o drags Terry out of position, creating space for Maicon to gallop into. The Brazilian would have had a great goalscoring opportunity if his enthusiasm had not got the better of him and led him to commit a wildly heavy first touch. He clattered the ball out of play rather than teeing up a shot. 40 mins: Terry is again way out of position, and is lucky that Eto'o ventured offside in anticipation of Maicon's pass. There is no doubt that the movement of Inter's two strikers is perplexing Chelsea's centrebacks, especially Terry, but it is also true that that is being compounded by the need for Terry to constantly stray to the left to cover for Malouda, who is regularly getting caught too far forward. 43 mins: Ridiculously, Sneijder tries to beat Cech with a freekick from 40 yards. It wafts well wide, and the crowd applaud. There is no rational explanation for that. 45 mins: We'll need a replay of that an no mistake! Kalou seemed to be chopped to the ground when poised to shoot from six yards but the ref denied him a penalty. Half-time: The replay confirmed my initial suspicion: that should have been a penalty. Kalou exaggerated his fall, to be sure, but there is no doubt that Samuel caused him to go down. Will a sense of injustice drive Chelsea to an improved second-half performance? Will Ancelotti? "Kalou made the most of it but a definite penalty," agrees Peter Corway. "If that incident happened at, say, 30 mins, the ref would more likely have given the penalty," hollers Tom Britten. "Just before half-time, he's thinking 'balls to that; can't be arsed with the fallout'. Might play on his mind second half, could look to even things out. Often happens." Here's a thought: If Terry is going to be this flat-footed and dozy against high-class opposition, and with Rio Ferdinand suffering with a mysterious back affliction, shouldn't all England be hoping that Phil Jagielka gets back to full fitness soon? And isn't it about time Capello gave Ryan Shawcross a call? 46 mins: The second half quickly reverts to the first-half pattern, with Chelsea rumbling forward and Inter recoiling to the edge of their own box, poised to counter quickly. That ploy nearly worked to perfection there, as Milito hared past Terry after a clipped ball over the top, but Cech surged off his line to smother it. "Ancelotti was right!" gushes Dominic Wright. "No one in England wants Chelsea to win!" 47 mins: Wonky header from Drogba about eight yards out. 49 mins: Ivanovic swings in a cross from the right and Julio Cesar meets it with an unconvincing punch. Luckily for him, a team-mate is on hand to boot the ball clear. "Even the highly emotional Italian commentator on the TV over here said it was a penalty," drones Ben Dunn in dispassionate fashion. "It took him three replays and he mumbled the truth reluctantly, but penalty all the same. A very good game, which surprises me. I am particularly impressed with the Drogba - Samuel scuffle, and the rough rotundness of Ancelotti's face." GOAL! Inter 1-1 Chelsea (Kalou 51') Ivanovic lurched forward in that haphazard-yet-effective way of his and then, after a heavy touch, slid to divert the ball back to Kalou. From the edge of the area the Ivorian sends a low curler goalwards with his in-step, and Julio Cesar allows it to bounce over his out-stretched arms and into the net! Justice, of a sort. 53 mins: Suddenly Ivanovic has become a swashbuckler. He's jsut slalomed through the Inter midfield and then slipped a nice ball wide to Anelka on the right. The Frenchman's cross was feeble. GOAL! Inter 2-1 Chelsea (Cambiasso 55') Another terrific goal! Inter ventured forward for the first time in the half, with Sneijder reaching the byline before crossing. Carvalho cleared to the corner of the box, where Cambiasso arrived to to smash a volley goalward. Terry blocked it well (or, perhaps, couldn't get out of the way) but it rebounded to Cambiasso, who enflamed it into the net. Cech barely moved. 57 mins: Mikel plays Terry into trouble, but the defender manages to scramble the ball clear under pressure form Eto'o. 58 mins: Inter change: Motta off, Balotelli on. And by his frantic gesticulations on the sideline, it seems that Mourinho is hereby changing formation. 59 mins: It looks like Mourinho has gone for a three-man attack, with Eto'o wide on the left, Milito in the middle and Balotelli on the right. Sneijder is tucked in just behind that trio. It seems Mourinho wants to kill Chelsea off tonight - it's an admirable ambition, and may just mean that this exhilarating game is going to get even better ... for netural spectators, if not Chelsea fans. 60 mins: The night has just got worse for Chelsea. Cech rose to collect a cross under no pressure, did so... and then fell down and immediately signalled that he needed to come off. It looks like his knee buckled, which, obviously, is very serious. On comes Hilario. 62 mins: Inter are monopolising the ball at the moment, and with Chelsea's defenders visibly straining to contain them, it seems only a matter of time before Hilario is tested. But not with shots like the one Eto'o has just unleashed. It was from an absurd angle and threatened only a cameraman behind the goal. 64 mins: Great move by Chelsea, their best of the match! Through swift, incisive interplay they forged space on the right for Anelka, who crossed quickly to Lampard in the middle. Off-balance, he slightly scuffs his shot from 10 yards, enabling Julio Cesar to divert it to safety. 66 mins: Chelsea's medical staff have apparently told ITV's touchline reporter that Cech may have ruptured ligaments. Therefore they fear he may be out for the season. Meanwhile, Mourinho makes another change, withdrawing Eto'o for Pandev. It seems he's revised his plan of relentless attack or, rather, had Chelsea revise it for him. Because they've looked menacing in the last few minutes, the visitors. 69 mins: Balotelli tricks his way amusingly past Lampard on the right and then delivers a fine low cross. Terry blocked Pandev's shot, and then the ball rebounded into the arms of Hilario, who thus got his first touch. "Might I be bold enough to say you are the Cambiasso of MBMers?" ventures Jesse Ferreira. "Not in the sense of being bald and overrated, but in the sense that your commentary is 'enflaming it into the net'. Tremendous MBMing!" 71 mins: Malouda ghosts past Balotelli down the left and sends a well-conceived cross into the six-yard box. An Inter defender nods it behind for a corner. Lampard's out-swinger is misdirected. So Inter clear. 74 mins: Splendid tackle by Lucio on Kalou at the rim of the Inter box, and the Brazilian then bounds forward. Only to lose it on halfway. 77 mins: After much patient possession play by Inter, Maicon loses his rag and shoots from 40 yards. With hilarious consequences. 78 mins: Chelsea change: Kalou off, Sturridge on. For what it's worth, I would have kept Kalou on - he's been lively if frequently sloppy - and instead replaced Anelka, who's been ineffectual. And on that note, here's somebody called James Dixon. "If Inter weren't on the pitch, would Anelka still run around in those little, decreasing circles heading in the wrong direction?" fumes James. "And although I'm pretty sure I don't have the authority to do this, would anybody like to buy him off us for a bag of oranges, and a fun size Mars bar?" 80 mins: After good work down the right by Ivanovic, Chelsea switch play to the left. Lampard dinks the ball to the back post, where Drogba lurks. But Zanetti reads it well and flicks it clear with his head. 82 mins: Lucio, who has been excellent tonight, shows strength to dispossess Drogba on the edge of the Inter area ... and then brazen skill to outfox him with a dainty flick and turn. Cue an ovation from the delighted locals. 84 mins: Chelsea are finishing strongly, pushing Inter farther and farther backwards. In a bid to snuff out Lampard's growing influence, Mourinho has introduced Muntari, apparently to manmark him. "What a great game!" exults John Moran. "Attack from all corners of the pitch. Zanetti running around like Clark Gable. Ballack pulling the strings. As a Liverpool fan I have hated Chelsea for years, but fair play for playing three strikers away. I can only dream of Liverpool playing in a game like this." 86 mins: Anelka releases Ivanovic down the right. He plays it in to Mikel, who sizes up a shot from 25 yards ... and then balloons the ball into the crowd. "Please tell James Dixon that FC Porto will take Anelka for a bag of oranges and a fun size Milkyway," announces Jesse Ferreira. "The lady who sells tickets to the fans is on maternity leave, so this can only be a temporary position." 87 mins: The end of the half is approaching, which apparently means it's time for the ref to produce another perverse decision: Lucio came through the back off Drogba at the edge of the box, an action that most officials would penalise - instead, to the befuddlement of Drogba, Senor Gonzalez awareds a free-kick to Inter. 90 mins: Balotelli instigates a counter-attack with a raking ball from right to left. Pandev collects and motions to dash into the box, but Carvalho nicks the ball off him and clears. 90+1 mins: Lampard summons his best delivery of the night from a corner, and Ivanovic meets it at the near post. But not firmly enough, and his glancing header drifts wide on the far side. Full-time: The stadium erupts, the camera lingers on Ancelotti – but not long enough for us to see whether he and Mourinho exchange niceties or digs – and off trot the players. They've served up admirable entertainment tonight and the stage is set for a momentous second leg. Chelsea missed Ashley Cole and Michael Essien, and may have lost Cech for the rest of the season, while Terry's reputation as a world-class defender was severely dented. But their Champions League ambitions are intact. For now. Thanks for all your mails. Bye.