Amsterdam: Chelsea landed their only silverware of a gruelling campaign by beating Benfica 2-1 in the Europa League final on Wednesday but assistant coach Boudewijn Zenden believes the triumph only partially atoned for a string of failures.
The European champions started their season in August dreaming of a possible seven-trophy haul with the Community Shield, European Super Cup, World Club Cup, Champions League, Premier League, FA Cup and League Cup all up for grabs.
However, slowly but surely their hopes were dashed in each competition until salvation finally arrived in the 68th game of the season at the Amsterdam Arena where goals from Fernando Torres and Branislav Ivanovic sank a battling Benfica side.
Looking back at the ones that got away, Zenden said Chelsea's World Club Cup final defeat by Brazilians Corinthians in Tokyo was particularly painful for both the players and the backroom staff. "The Europa League is a serious competition which has put us in a small bracket of clubs to have won all three major UEFA trophies but it doesn't make up for the rest of the season," Zenden told Reuters in an interview on Thursday....
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04:46 PM, May 16, 2013
London: Chelsea's roller coaster of a season could yet end with another night of European glory after they knocked FC Basel out of the semi-finals on Thursday to set up a Europa League final against Benfica. Goals from Fernando Torres, Victor Moses and David Luiz in a nine-minute spell early in the second half gave Chelsea a 3-1 second-leg win over the Swiss champions at Stamford Bridge for a 5-2...
08:38 AM, May 03, 2013
London: Chelsea's relentless march towards either more European glory or an heroic, battle-weary failure, continues on Thursday when they face FC Basel with the final of the Europa League beckoning. The Londoners, like Benfica who face Fenerbahce in the other semi-final, were eliminated from the Champions League after the group stage, but both dropouts could yet meet in the final at the Amsterdam Arena on May 15. Chelsea are well-placed...
10:00 AM, May 01, 2013
London: Chelsea are in the last chance saloon as far as a trophy goes and Fernando Torres, complete with his 'Mask of Zorro', must continue his recent improvement in swashbuckling style in Thursday's Europa League semi-finals. Fenerbahce welcome Benfica in their first leg while European champions Chelsea face a tricky trip to Basel without the cup-tied Demba Ba, meaning fellow striker Torres will take up the fight as the Londoners...
11:36 AM, Apr 24, 2013
Manchester: Chelsea stumbled into the semi-finals of the Europa League on Thursday after losing 3-2 at Rubin Kazan following a rousing second-half fightback by the Russian team. Chelsea held on to win 5-4 on aggregate, becoming the first team to qualify. Protecting a 3-1 cushion from last week's quarterfinal first leg, well-taken goals by Fernando Torres and Victor Moses helped the reigning European champions into a 2-1 lead by the...
11:57 PM, Apr 11, 2013
London: After a collective blow-out in the Champions League, England has a three-pronged attack on Europe's second tier competition with Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United all vying for Europa League success. The three Premier League sides were all kept apart in the draw for the last eight and head into Thursday's quarter-final first legs looking to earn back some of the country's European lustre. European champions Chelsea host Russian...
09:08 PM, Apr 03, 2013
The blushes of Chelsea's misfiring striker Fernando Torres have been spared after a local council ordered the removal of an advertising hoarding that mocked his performances for the European champions. ...
08:53 AM, Mar 20, 2013
Chelsea staged a thrilling comeback to beat Steaua Bucharest 3-1 while Tottenham made it on the away-goals rule. ...
04:02 AM, Mar 15, 2013
Benitez says the European champions must regain their killer touch if they are to apply any pressure on Manchester United. ...
03:56 PM, Jan 31, 2013
Torres spared Chelsea a humiliating elimination from the FA Cup, scoring a late equaliser in a 2-2 draw at Brentford. ...
08:11 PM, Jan 27, 2013
Chelsea interim manager Rafael Benitez bemoaned a lack of depth in his squad after his club's shock 1-0 defeat by bottom side Queens Park Rangers on Wednesday and said new signings were needed to challenge for the Premier League title. ...
06:56 PM, Jan 03, 2013
QPR pull off a huge upset at Stamford Bridge, beating the blues by one goal, as Phillips scored against his former club. ...
03:31 AM, Jan 03, 2013
Chelsea have been looking to add the 27-year-old Ba to its strike force after seeing him score 13 goals this season. ...
10:49 PM, Jan 02, 2013
Chelsea would aim to start 2013 on a winning note when relegation-threatened QPR visit Stamford Bridge. ...
05:19 PM, Jan 02, 2013
Victory against QPR would take Chelsea back up to third in the Premier League. ...
05:04 PM, Jan 02, 2013
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. ...
08:11 AM, Dec 20, 2012
Guerrero scored in the 69th minute to give Corinthians a 1-0 victory over Chelsea in the final of the Club World Cup. ...
06:47 PM, Dec 16, 2012
La Liga title contenders Atletico Madrid will face a tough test when they visit high-flying Barcelona on Sunday. ...
05:12 PM, Dec 14, 2012
