da dobrowin：
da wazamba： Chelsea have put one foot in the Champions League semi-finals, after they beat Benfica 1-0 at the Estadio da Luz on Tuesday night.
Roberto Di Matteo made six changes from the team that drew 0-0 with Tottenham on Saturday, with Didier Drogba, Frank Lampard and Michael Essien all demoted to the bench for the quarter-final first leg.
Fringe attacker Salomon Kalou was one to start the match, and scored the only goal of the game after 75 minutes to seal the victory.
The Italian coach praised his players after the game and did not feel it was too much of a gamble starting with the out-of-favour Ivory Coast forward.
“They deserve all the credit,” Di Matteo told Sky Sports after the game.
“They have had a lot of stick this season. They have been fantastic with me. They are doing it for themselves, the club and the supporters.
“Kalou’s come into the team after a long spell out, he got the goal and had a great game.
“I didn’t think it was a gamble, but sometimes in life you have to take a little risk.
“With the fact we are playing all these games, it was important to select a team that had the energy for a high-tempo game. It’s terrific, we couldn’t have hoped for a better result.
“We went close on a number of occasions and kept a clean sheet, we looked good defensively, again. They had some set-pieces and the goalkeeper had a few saves to make, but they were all from long range,” he concluded.
The Blues are back to domestic commitments this weekend, and face Aston Villa at Villa Park on Saturday.
By Gareth McKnight
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