Amsterdam: Matchwinner Branislav Ivanovic said Chelsea deserved to win the Europa League with a 2-1 success over Benfica on Wednesday after a "difficult season". The Serbian defender headed a stoppage-time winner from a corner to secure a second successive European trophy for the Premier League side after they won the Champions League for the first time last season.
"This team deserved this, because we have had a very difficult season and a lot of games," Ivanovic, suspended for the 2012 showpiece which Chelsea won after a penalty shootout victory over Bayern Munich, said.
"In the end, today was a very hard game and Benfica played very well. But we scored from set pieces and work very hard preparing that part of our game. We deserve that trophy. It was a great feeling to play a final, another European final for us as a team and a great win for us. Now it is time to celebrate."
Chelsea were playing their 68th game of a marathon season and were only in the Europa League after dropping into it after becoming the first Champions League winners to be eliminated in the group stage the following season....
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09:59 AM, May 16, 2013
Amsterdam: A stoppage-time header from Branislav Ivanovic helped Chelsea become the first English club to win all three of UEFA's major trophies as they beat Benfica 2-1 in the Europa League final on Wednesday. The Serbian defender sent the London club's fans wild with delight when he climbed high at the far post to meet a Juan Mata corner and place a header back across helpless goalkeeper Artur into the...
02:51 AM, May 16, 2013
London: Liverpool striker Luis Suarez has been banned for 10 matches by the English Football Association for biting an opponent during a Premier League match. The suspension rules the Uruguay international out for the final four league matches of this campaign and the first six of next season. The FA said in a statement released Wednesday that an independent panel said the regular suspension for violent conduct of three games...
07:51 PM, Apr 24, 2013
London: Liverpool forward Luis Suarez has disputed the English FA's view that his punishment for biting Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic at the weekend merits a longer punishment than the usual three-game ban. The FA said in a statement on Tuesday that the Uruguayan international has accepted a charge of violent conduct but "has denied the FA's claim that the standard punishment of three matches is clearly insufficient for this offence". The...
03:37 AM, Apr 24, 2013
London: Luis Suarez found himself in the familiar position of being an outcast on Monday, charged by the Football Association, fined by Liverpool, and rebuked by the government for biting an opponent a day earlier. In a Premier League match broadcast globally on Sunday, Suarez bit Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic's arm. Although he escaped punishment during the game, Suarez now faces a lengthy ban. "The incident was not seen by...
10:57 PM, Apr 22, 2013
London: Luis Suarez has been fined by Liverpool for biting an opponent, and has been offered anger management counseling by England's footballers' union. The Uruguay striker dug his teeth into Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic's arm during Sunday's Premier League match before netting a last-gasp equalizer to clinch a 2-2 draw. Suarez announced Monday on Twitter that "for my unacceptable behavior yesterday the club has fined me today." He wants the...
03:42 PM, Apr 22, 2013
Liverpool: In the latest chapter of Luis Suarez's controversial career, the Uruguayan bit the arm of Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic during Sunday's 2-2 draw in the Premier League and apologised a few hours later. Suarez, who served a seven-game suspension for a bite during a Dutch league match in 2010, was foiled by Ivanovic as he attempted to kick the ball between the center back's legs in the penalty area....
08:18 AM, Apr 22, 2013
London: Chelsea condemned Paolo Di Canio to a losing start as manager of relegation-threatened Sunderland, coming from behind to win 2-1 and rise to third in the Premier League on Sunday. Cesar Azpilicueta's own goal on the stroke of half-time gave Di Canio the perfect start, but Sunderland collapsed after the break. The game's second own goal two minutes into the second half saw Matthew Kilgallon inadvertently hook the ball...
10:08 PM, Apr 07, 2013
The Serbians have nothing to lose when they visit bitter Balkan rivals Croatia in a World Cup Group A qualifier on March 22 and raucous fan support can only put pressure on the home side, Serbia right back Branislav Ivanovic said. ...
06:17 PM, Mar 14, 2013
Leeds: Chelsea scored five goals in a masterful second-half display to beat old rival Leeds 5-1 on Wednesday, setting up a meeting with Swansea in the semi-finals of the League Cup. A shock was on when Leeds went in at half-time 1-0 up thanks to Luciano Becchio's 37th-minute goal at a rain-soaked Elland Road. However, Chelsea was clinical after the break, equalizing through Spain playmaker Juan Mata in the 47th...
08:11 AM, Dec 20, 2012
Wigan: Eden Hazard inspired Chelsea to a 2-0 win at Wigan on his Premier League debut, providing an assist for Branislav Ivanovic to score in the second minute before being fouled for Frank Lampard's penalty five minutes later. Chelsea remained comfortable for the rest of the match, although Wigan midfielder Jordi Gomez missed several chances in the second half. Chelsea manager Roberto Di Matteo was delighted with the Hazard's impact....
09:04 PM, Aug 19, 2012
London: Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic will be able to play in the Premier League club's opening match of the season against Wigan despite receiving a red card against Manchester City in the Community Shield on Sunday, his club said. The Serbian international had escaped the sanction as the Community Shield was not classed as a competitive first-team fixture, Chelsea said on their website (www.chelseafc.com). Ivanovic, 28, was issued with a...
08:05 PM, Aug 13, 2012
London: Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic has claimed that he is on Real Madrid's wish-list for the new season. Spanish sources have reported that Ivanovic is high on Jose Mourinho's list of targets as the Portuguese coach looks to fine-tune his squad to give Madrid their 10th Champions League trophy in 2012-13. The 28-year-old defender, who started Serbia's 2-0 defeat against Spain on Saturday, stated that he is aware of Madrid's...
11:57 AM, May 28, 2012
