The Blues weren’t at their best on Wednesday and were held to a 1-1 draw in Slovenia by Maribor. Agim Ibraimi gave the home side a lead early in the second half, but the Blues equalized thanks to Nemanja Matic with 17 minutes left to play. Eden Hazard had a chance to win it in the 85th minute but his poor penalty effort was saved.
3 things from Chelsea’s shocking 1-1 draw against Maribor
Eden Hazard’s missed penalty late in the match cost Chelsea three points in Slovenia.
Laurence Griffiths
Chelsea remains at the top of Group G, now three points clear of Schalke who lost against Sporting Lisbon.
Chelsea for the most part controlled play in the first half everywhere except the scoreboard. The Blues came close in the 8th minute when a short cross from Cesc Fàbregas found Kurt Zouma wide open in front of the goal. The young defender’s header went wide of the goal though, ending the danger. Andre Schurrle had a great chance on the counter attack late in the half, but his shot from outside the box went wide.
Maribor had a couple chances as well to get a goal but were unable to get the final shot on target.
Five minutes into the second half though, Maribor got the opening goal. Agim Ibraimi was allowed to sit in possession in the top right corner of the Chelsea penalty area as multiple defenders looked on, rather than closing down. Ibraimi took his time and lifted a shot that beat Petr Cech into the far top corner, giving the home side a 1-0 lead.
Mourinho, having shifted to a 3-5-2 at halftime, made one more adjustment bringing on Ramires as Chelsea began aggressively chasing the equalizer.
The pressure paid off in the 73rd minute when John Terry headed down a ball in the Maribor box right to Nemanja Matic for a tap-in at the far post, pulling the Blues even at 1-1.
Eden Hazard somehow failed to put Chelsea ahead in the 76th minute after he got free behind the Maribor defense on a through ball from Oscar. Hazard's shot was blocked wonderfully by Jasmin Handanovic who got off his line fast and smothered Hazard's shot after eliminating the striker's angles.
Chelsea continued to pour on the pressure and nearly Maribor broke again in the 85th minute when Mitja Viler got turned inside out by Eden Hazard, bringing down the Chelsea striker in the box. There was no doubt it was a penalty and the referee quickly pointed to the spot. The Belgian stepped up to give the Blues their first lead of the day, but his shot was very poor and Handanovic blocked it, barely having to move.
Maribor: Handanovic, Stojanovic, Rajcevic, Arghus, Viler, Ibraimi (Dohar 90’), Mertelj, Filipovic, Sallalich (N’Diaye 90’ +2), Tavares, Zahovic (Mendy 73’)
Goals: Ibraimi (50’)
Chelsea: Cech, Ivanovic, Zouma, Terry, Filipe Luis (Ramires 56'), Fabregas, Matic, Schurrle (Diego Costa 46'), Willian (Oscar 46'), Hazard, Drogba.
Goals: Matic (73’)
3 things
1. Slovenian Premier League > English Premier League - The 4th placed team in the Slovenia drew the top team in England. Soooooo, by the transitive theory, that means the Slovenian Premier League is better than the EPL ... or at least equal. That’s how that works right?
2. Chelsea's 3-5-2 is a little scary - Diego Costa and Didier Drogba on at the same time? Yikes. You got the sense that Chelsea weren't particularly interested in this match at the start and it took Mourinho laying in to them at halftime, along with Maribor scoring first to wake them up. Using three at the back was a risky move, but it worked for the Blues. I doubt we'll see it in league play, unless they were desperate for a goal, but it would be fun.
3. Eden Hazard should practice penalties - With five minutes left in full time, Eden Hazard stepped up to the spot with a chance to win the game for his side. No problem right? Easy goal right? Nope. Hazard’s effort was terrible, a slow roller with no movement that didn’t even require Handanovic to move. Poor form from the Belgian.
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