Sparta Prague - 0 Chelsea - 1:Hernan Crespo ought to make a point of thanking William Gallas this morning. Just when it seemed wayward finishing by the Argentine striker would cost Chelsea a victory, Gallas popped up to claim a rare goal and give Claudio Ranieri's team a winning start.
By driving in a late shot from Damien Duff's cross, Gallas gave Chelsea three points to savour even if this was not a performance to enthuse about. Ranieri has said Europe's top clubs have no reason to worry about his team yet, and he looked spot on last night.
Too often Chelsea looked a side still getting to know one another against ordinary opponents and Crespo did not seem as well acquainted with the net as might have been expected. He wasted two excellent second-half chances and another presentable one on a disappointing first start.
Chelsea deserved this after dominating the second half, but Ranieri is still searching for the right formula. He abandoned his midfield diamond at the interval and Juan Sebastian Veron did not shape the play from his position off the front men.
This match had been labelled "the Czechs against the chequebook" and almost everyone had expected a Chelsea side built on Roman Abramovich's millions to prevail against opponents seventh in their domestic league.
By giving Claude Makelele and Crespo their first starts, Ranieri ensured there was as much Champions League experience as possible in his starting XI, which showed seven changes from the weekend.
Of the nine major summer signings, only Duff and Joe Cole were not included. They, Frank Lampard and John Terry, all of whom were on the bench, will hope this was not an indication their European roles will be limited.
Here Ranieri wanted a more defensive emphasis on the left, using Emmanuel Petit there in a diamond which had Veron at its front. The Argentine was little involved initially as Chelsea struggled to break down a Sparta team who looked well organised and were working hard to deny their opponents time.
Without Duff there to provide width or the full backs getting forward much to begin with, Chelsea were trying with little success to feed balls to their strikers through the middle. Though Petit gave Crespo a chance to shoot, that effort posed no real threat. Crespo and Adrian Mutu were getting almost no quality service.
It hardly helped that Veron was making nothing of the rare possession he got in potentially dangerous positions in the first half-hour. He looked uncertain for a while in this role behind the strikers, though he came into the game much more towards half-time as Chelsea pressed.
It was only as the interval approached Chelsea found some fluency and width, though they still did not create a clear chance.
The clearest opening, in first-half stoppage time, fell to Sparta when Glen Johnson failed to cut out Karel Poborksy's cross and Radoslav Kovac headed wide.
Before then Carlo Cudicini had been relatively untroubled, though Sparta had their moments. With Gallas looking rusty on his first start of the season, it was as well that Marcel Desailly was strong.
Ranieri sought to shake things up by bringing on Duff and Lampard at half-time, with Mutu and Petit making way. Less than seven minutes into the second half Chelsea should have gone ahead. A tenacious, skilful run by Johnson ended with the full back slipping a good pass to Crespo, who ought to have scored but allowed Jaromir Blazek to save his weak attempt at a chip.
Chelsea came closer shortly after when Wayne Bridge sent Duff down the left and the Irishman's cross, aimed at Crespo, came close to producing an own-goal by Petr Johana. Having survived a few scares in defence, Chelsea must have feared victory would elude them when Crespo wasted another chance, clipping the ball over Blazek but failing to find the net from Veron's pass.
Guardian Sport
SPARTA PRAGUE: Blazek, Labant (Jezek 87), Johana, Petras, Nemec, Poborsky, Michalik (Zboncak 56), Kovac, Hubschman, Jun, Igor Gluscevic. Subs Not Used: Kouba, Zelenka, Kincl, Sionko, Homola.
CHELSEA: Cudicini, Johnson, Gallas, Desailly, Bridge, Geremi, Veron, Makelele, Petit, Crespo (Hasselbaink 72), Mutu (Duff 46). Subs Not Used: Ambrosio, Cole, Gudjohnsen, Terry. Goals: Gallas 85.
Referee: H Fleischer (Germany).
