Chelsea-Barca ends in a dramatic draw
Chelsea-Barca ends in a dramatic draw
A Chelsea injury time equaliser against Barcelona kept them in control of their Champions League group.

Barcelona: A Chelsea injury time equaliser against FC Barcelona on Tuesday kept them in control of their Champions League group while stoking a growing rivalry between the European powerhouses.

"Yeah, it does feel a bit like a derby," Chelsea captain John Terry said about the match that produced 10 yellow cards.

Didier Drogba converted a headed a pass by Terry, finishing under Barcelona goalkeeper Victor Valdes in the third minute of injury time to give the Blues a 2-2 draw with their Group A rivals.

"No doubt we deserved that goal and maybe more," Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho said. "Drogba made a magnificent contribution with that crucial goal."

This is the third straight year the two teams have met in the Champions League, and Tuesday's game produced 43 fouls and several shoving matches.

Barcelona manager Frank Rijkaard rushed out onto the field to complain to Italian referee Stefano Farina after the final whistle, which he felt was blown one minute earlier than it should have been.

"I went out to thank him for his participation," Rijkaard said sarcastically. "Our squad was kicking the ball around and wasting time when they shouldn't have, and Chelsea took advantage of that."

Deco gave the host the lead with a goal in the third minute after intercepting a pass at midfield.

Ronaldinho could have doubled the advantage six minutes later but he sent a pass from Lionel Messi over the bar.

Chelsea forced Valdes into two acrobatic saves in the 33rd, with the Barcelona goalkeeper tipping Michael Essien's header over the bar, then diving to stop a drive from Arjen Robben.

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In the 37th, a shoving match started after Ashley Cole was shown a yellow card, which Barcelona mistakenly thought was his second in the match, and Messi subsequently earned a yellow for dissent.

"It was not an aggressive game. But when you see so many cards, mainly for us, it is because people chase the cards," Mourinho said. "Sometimes there were seven or eight players surrounding the referee asking him to give cards. It was both sides contributing but clearly one was doing it more than the other."

Lampard thought Farina was in part to blame for the game getting out of hand.

"It's frustrating," Lampard said. "You really need a strong referee to understand the game and know when it's contact and when it's not a foul and to let it go. I didn't understand the referee tonight."

Chelsea opened the second half with two great scoring chances, both from Robben.

The Dutchman's low-angled header in the 49th was cleared off the line by a diving Valdes, and an angled shot two minutes later went over the bar.

Lampard equalised shortly after.

After misplaying a cross from Essien, the England midfielder recovered the ball at the goal line, then spun and sent in a sharply angled lob that flew over Valdes and inside the far post.

In the 58th, Ronaldinho flicked a centering pass that Gudjohnsen directed into the top of the net to put the visitors ahead 2-1.

"We are playing well, the team is really strong, and this was a very good test for us," Mourinho said.

Chelsea stays in first place in Group A with 10 points, while Barcelona dropped into third with five.

Werder Bremen beat Levski Sofia 3-0 in the other group match to move into second with seven points. Levski remained at the bottom with zero points.

"We must beat the other teams in our group now," Rijkaard said. "We have no choice - we have to do it."

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