Chelsea, Take a bow!

Going into the game, I thought that there was no hope for Chelsea. I believed that they may just scrape through on the night, but I thought their defensive woes would come back to haunt them. But after the game, I was truly gobsmacked. In other words, both my admiration and pride of being English rose on this tie, with Chelsea's determination and never say die attitude being admirable. With all the troubles they've had this season, and all the failures that have come with it, it was only right to think that an underperforming Chelsea side would crash out of the Champions League in the first knock out stages. But they were able to defy the odds and through the influence of key figures John Terry and Didier Drogba, were able to turn over a clearly shell shocked Napoli side and advance into the last 8 of the Champions League.

Drogba in particular put in an inspired performance

My pessimistic views before the game were confirmed by Chelsea's lacklustre start, clearly succumbing to the occasion and coming under heavy fire from the exquisite trio of Marek Hamsik, Edison Cavani and Ezqueziel Lavezzi up front. However, when Cavani missed a golden opportunity from all of 3 yards, this sparked a revival from Chelsea. A revival that was much needed, otherwise their season would've headed into sheer disappointment. The ever hard working Ramires crossed into the box, which was met by Drogba's diving header, which found its way beautifully in the bottom hand corner of the goal. Suddenly there it was. A rally cry from Drogba and the ecstatic blues fans changed everything. The change was imminent; Chelsea began to take control of the game. John Terry then added another to symbolise more hope. Surely not? Surely Chelsea couldn’t turn over this huge deficit, having gone down 3-1 in Naples. Surely?

When Gokhan Inler's controlled volley rifled into the bottom corner of Chelsea's net, Chelsea could've easily have laid down and felt sorry for themselves. But no. This was a different Chelsea side since the sacking of AVB a mere 3 games ago. Roberto Di Matteo has installed confidence into a Chelsea side clearly lacking of any consistency or determination of their own. But Chelsea kept plugging away. Waiting patiently for their opportunity. There it was. Penalty! A header hit Dossena's hand and it was clear cut. It seemed as if Lampard has the world on his shoulders as he waited to take the penalty, but converted emphatically. A roar sounded round Stamford Bridge and the game had entered extra time.

Roberto Di Matteo celebrating with his players

At this point I had no doubt that Chelsea would win it. The momentum was on their side, and Napoli displayed a clear display of disbelief throughout the game. When Branislav Ivanoic's shot burst the back of the net, it was complete. What a comeback! Even I, a Charlton fan who didn't care about the final result cheered. Cheered because I had just witnessed an incredible display from a team who have had their fair share of critics this season. Cheered because the determination displayed by the Chelsea team completely juxtaposed their fortunes this season. Cheered because I was proud to be English.

The reward for coming through the tie was a tie against Portuguese giants Benfica. Can Chelsea come through the tie? Of course they can! Although Benfica's team consist of some big names such as the big Paraguyan forward Oscar Cardozo, as well as Argentinian playmaker Pablo Aimar, Chelsea's team have the edge. Not only do they have a better quality in their ranks, but they now possess the confidence that will no doubt be key having been gained through a hard fought game against Napoli. It was only Napoli, but Chelsea's season has had so many ups and downs, that this fight back may just kick start their season. It might be 6 months late, but it's still a start. If Chelsea can fight their way into the top 4 and perhaps cause a major upset in the Champions League, than it'll be just rewards for their remarkable fight back against Napoli. But can Chelsea beat Barcelona? We'll have to wait and see....