Chelsea floored by slick Napoli comeback
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E-mail Xinhua, February 22, 2012
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Ezequiel Lavezzi (C) of Napoli celebrates with teammates Edinson Cavani (L) and Marek Hamsik (R) after scoring his team's third goal during the UEFA Champions League round of 16 first leg match between SSC Napoli and Chelsea FC at Stadio San Paolo on February 21, 2012 in Naples, Italy. |
Napoli proved unstoppable at home in the Champions League when they beat Chelsea 3-1 at home in the first leg of the final 16 tie on Tuesday.
Chelsea took the lead in the 27th minute through Juan Mata, and then Napoli responded with three goals including a brace from Ezequiel Lavezzi and Edinson Cavani's goal.
Napoli head coach Walter Mazzarri, who was suspended for two games, watched the match in the hotel, but rushed to the stadium to celebrate with his squad.
"I liked the team in every respect. We only suffered for 10 minutes after that blasted goal," he said. "We had played well up until then and went close twice, but this team really amazed me. We created so many chances and it's a shame Christian Maggio's opportunity didn't get a fourth."
"Maggio's chance does leave a few regrets, as it would've made us more relaxed for the second leg. It's going to be tough and we know they have champions who can score two goals at home," he added.
Mazzarri's Chelsea counterpart Andre Villas-Boas was frustrated at Chelsea's defensive, and insisted they can "turn this tie around" in the second leg.
"After we went 1-0 up we missed opportunities, then should've done better defending. Mistakes against Napoli, whose attack is their strength, mean you can get punished," he said.
"A 3-1 is more difficult to recover, not impossible, of course, because of the amount of chances that we get and the environment we must create to turn this tie around and go through. The first 90 minutes have passed, but we have another 90 minutes to turn the tie around," he said.
Chelsea - who had started the match with Ashley Cole, Michael Essien, Frank Lampard and Fernando Torres on the bench - had looked shaky in defence in the early stages of the match, but they took the lead in the 27th minute through Juan Mata.
The lead did not last long, Lavezzi curled the ball past Petr Cech for an equalizer 11 minutes later, and Edinson Cavani put the hosts in front when he used his shoulder to divert home in first-half injury time.
Chelsea looked dangerous in the second half and had numerous opportunities to get back on level terms, but a glaring error from David Luiz allowed Lavezzi to make it 3-1 in the 65th minute.
