Terry Delighted With Moscow Qualification And Drogba Slam Rafa

Terry Delighted With Moscow Qualification

Chelsea defender John Terry spoke of his delight after his Blues edged Liverpool 3-2 at Stamford Bridge in the Champions League semi-final second leg.

Terry captained the Blues to their first ever Champions League semi-final victory."It's fantastic, and I think it's fully deserved over the years," he told Sky."We had our chances. We made the most of it, even though we made it very difficult for ourselves late on today."We let him [Babel] shoot from 25 yards and that got them back in the game with three minutes to go."It's a tough one to call. Last night's game was very tight, this one too, and there have been some tense games."Was it the hardest? I think so, and it was certainly the most enjoyable, and I'm delighted for myself, the club, the fans, and all the players to be in Moscow."Offering his thoughts on Frank Lampard, the skipper concluded, "What a character Lamps is. To come in on Sunday and train, and block out a terrible week for him and his family... I think he'll dedicate that goal to his mum."


Drogba : The Pressure Got To Rafa

Didier Drogba was in rampant mood after his Chelsea side overcame Liverpool 4-3 on aggregate in the Champions League semi-final. The Ivorian took the opportunity to congratulate his side before hitting back once more at Reds boss Rafael Benítez, who had accused him of being a diver.
Drogba, one of the top performers on the night, was beside himself with joy after the 3-2 win at the Bridge.He told Sky, "It's something amazing, I think. Today we played very well against a... *breaks down with joy* No, I'm really pleased for the club because we've been looking for this final for too long."Five years - people were there before me and they battled and did everything to reach the final. But what we achieved today is fantastic for the club, for the fans, and all the people who played for Chelsea."

Benítez Remarks

The striker initially declined to comment too much on the Rafa issue, but eventually he was able to speak his mind."It's difficult because, as I say, Benítez is a fantastic coach, and one of the best in the world, so I was a little bit disappointed," he said.Then came the crux."I think that he felt that his team was not as strong enough as in other years, and he thought they were going to be beaten," he claimed."I'm just happy for my team and don't want to look after what people were saying."My goal celebration [a swan dive towards the Liverpool bench]? It's very personal what he did, and this is not good. Football is not about critics: you can speak to your players, but not to the papers like this."It's not good for my image. I'm doing everything to promote English football and I'm giving my best to put my team at the top, and this is not good or fair. But it's finished now."

Steve Michaels