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Mourinho leaves Stamford Bridge in triumph - - as usual
The 3-1 aggregate result more accurately reflects another emphatic Mourinho success.
“I wanted to sow doubt and I saw doubt, (Branko) Ivanovic and Yuriy Stojkovic didn’t know whether to attack or stay back, and it caused them real problems. Chelsea was frustrated, because today Inter was the better team,” Mourinho told reporters.
“Today I was not the special one for Chelsea but Inter were special. Today I was the enemy, but that’s life.” But at the start of the press conference after the match he still managed to thank the steward who gave him his favorite custard cream biscuits. “He did this for me for three years and today as well,” Mourinho joked.
One defeat
Apart from a League Cup defeat by Charlton Athletic on penalties, Mourinho only ever lost one match at Stamford Bridge in his electrifying reign at Chelsea between 2004 and 2007 -- a Champions League tie to Barcelona in 2006.
Now although the self-proclaimed “special one” has been gone from southwest London for over two years the sight of him on the visitors’ bench was a strange one.
The focus of every photographers’ lens as he took his place next to the dugout in a smart overcoat, Chelsea blue silk-shirt and, somewhat ill-matching brown suede shoes, Mourinho sat passively in the pre-match buildup while the cameramen surrounded him.
He was also unusually unemotional for the opening half hour, watching as his pre-match plan began to work to perfection as an effective attack of Diego Milito, Samuel Eto’o and hard-working Wesley Sneijder put Chelsea under increasing pressure.
He was far more animated in the second half, pointing this way and that as Inter worked as a brilliant defensive unit and thwarted a Chelsea side, who rarely moved out of second gear.
Eventually the one goal from Eto’o 12 minutes from the end sent Inter through to the last eight -- and opened up a bigger picture for Mourinho than just seeing off his old mates from south-west London.
Inter Milan have not been champions of Europe since successive victories in 1964 and 1965, but after this victory Mourinho, who took Porto to the European title in 2004, can be forgiven for dreaming of winning the European Cup again.
Asked if he thought this victory was as good as winning the title he replied: “I hope that my biggest success is still in the future,” he said.
CSKA Moscow springs surprise
CSKA Moscow upset Sevilla 2-1 to send the Russian team into the quarterfinals for the first time in 17 years.
A well-struck Keisuke Honda free kick ended Sevilla’s hopes of making their quarterfinal debut and secured victory for the well-organized Muscovites to put them into the last eight for the first time since 1992-93.
After a 1-1 draw in Moscow last month, goals from CSKA’s Tomas Necid and Sevilla’s Diego Perotti had the sides tied at 2-2 on aggregate at the break before Honda’s 55th-minute strike flew into the top corner off Sevilla goalkeeper Andres Palop.
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