Chelsea nervously beat 10-man Benfica 2-1 in their Champions League quarter-final second leg at Stamford Bridge on Thursday (AEST) to seal a 3-1 aggregate victory and set up a semi-final with holders Barcelona later this month.
Chelsea doubled its aggregate advantage when Frank Lampard scored a 21st-minute penalty and its grip on the game tightened five minutes before half-time when Benfica skipper Maxi Pereira was sent off for a second yellow card after a lunge.
Javi Garcia headed in from close range on 85 minutes to prompt an awkward finale for the Londoners before Raul Meireles struck in stoppage time.
"We knew... we were going to face a difficult game tonight and so it proved," Chelsea interim manager Roberto Di Matteo said after the match.
"The second goal was missing to kill the game off."
Asked about next opponents Barca, which Chelsea hosts in the last-four first leg on April 18, the Italian said: "They probably are one of the best teams if not the best team in the world."
Chelsea has now reached the semi-final for the sixth time in the last nine seasons.
However, it has made only one final and has never won the competition.
Benfica began with all guns blazing and although it came close to scoring at regular intervals, Chelsea defended superbly.
Defender John Terry, who later went off injured, was forced to clear a shot from Oscar Cardozo off the line while goalkeeper Petr Cech made a superb diving save from Pablo Aimar at the start of the second half.
Chelsea's breakthrough came when makeshift defender Garcia clattered into Ashley Cole to concede a clear penalty and Lampard scored from the spot, although Artur got a hand to the ball.
Benfica, which won the second and last of its two European Cups 50 years ago, came into the match having scored in all of its away games in the competition and seemed intent on keeping that record intact.
The visitors finally scored after spells of pressure through Garcia's flicked header when Cech could have done better. Benfica then went close to a sensational winner which would have put them through.
However, Chelsea broke up field and Portuguese Meireles blasted home to end his compatriots' hopes and send Stamford Bridge into delirium.
Real thrash APOEL
In the day's other fixture, Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice as Real Madrid enjoyed one of their most comfortable passages into the Champions League semi-finals with a 5-2 victory over APOEL Nicosia, progressing 8-2 on aggregate.
Ronaldo and Kaka, two of the world's most expensive players, scored before the break, the second from the Brazilian a wonderful curling effort from outside the area.
Gustavo Manduca had the noisy travelling support in full song after he broke away to pull one back for APOEL in the 67th minute, but Ronaldo with a free-kick and Jose Callejon quickly restored order at the Bernabeu.
Esteban Solari netted a penalty for the competition debutants but Angel Di Maria immediately lobbed a fifth for Real who eased into a semi-final meeting with Bayern Munich.
"Our objective has been achieved, we won, and we are in the semis against Bayern," Ronaldo said after the match.
"Bayern will be very difficult. They are the type of team who can win the Champions League so it will be extremely tough."
APOEL's colourful and raucous fans were the most exciting part of the opening half hour as Real laid siege to their goal without making much headway.
Ronaldo had come close twice before he breached their defence in the 26th minute, tapping in from Marcelo's low cross.
Kaka curled in a second from outside the area in the 37th minute and as half-time approached he curled another effort against the post.
Complacency crept into Real's game and APOEL took full advantage, a well-worked passing move setting Manduca through to score wide of Iker Casillas.
Constantinos Charalambides forced Casillas into a fingertip save, but Ronaldo ended the wobble with a swerving free-kick from wide of the area that arrowed into the top corner in the 75th.
Substitute Jose Callejon fired in a low shot five minutes later, but APOEL's fans had more to cheer when Hamit Altintop brought down Aldo Adorno and Solari scored from the spot.
Di Maria rounded off the scoring in the 84th minute.
Reuters
Tags: sport, soccer, champions-league, england First posted April 05, 2012 06:52:02
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