Chelsea FC’s Five Most Heartbreaking Moments
By Alex Mosey
2 – Iniesta’s ‘Disgraceful’ Equaliser (Chelsea 1-1 Barcelona, May 2009 )
I’m afraid European heartbreak is going to become a recurrent theme in this list. On the back of the disastrous Moscow final of 2008, Chelsea were out with a vengeance the following season. Following a nail-biting clash with Juventus, Chelsea managed to battle past Liverpool in what is considered as being one of the most enthralling Champions League knockout legs of all time (the infamous 4-4 battle of the Bridge). In what is sure to ring some bells given the previous heartbreaking moment of the countdown, Chelsea had proven their defensive worth by keeping a clean sheet at the Nou Camp (incidentally the first team to stop Barcelona scoring in the competition).
Despite this, Barcelona were seen as favourites given the away-goal rule was on their side. The Chelsea team that greeted them, however, was intent on attack, as was illustrated by Essien’s dumbfounding volley early on to open the scoring. A dominant Chelsea side and a red card for Eric Abidal meant that suddenly Barcelona seemed on the verge of handing Chelsea a place in the final in Rome. That is until, in the 93rd minute of the match, Andrés Iniesta managed to register Barcelona’s one and only shot on target: a brilliantly curled shot into the top right corner. The fact Norwegian referee Øvrobø refused Chelsea their fourth stonewall penalty was icing on the heartbreak cake, and in the wise yet probably unsuitable words of Didier Drogba, the whole affair was “a f**king disgrace ! “.