Wednesday, 23rd April, 2014
Chelsea full-back Cesar Azpilicueta feels the 0-0 draw against Atletico Madrid in the first-leg of the Champions League semi-final at the Vicente Calderon was a positive result, but insisted his side need to better their performances if they want to qualify for the final in Lisbon.
Jose Mourinho’s side held strong against the attacking Red and Whites as the match ended in a goalless draw in Spain last night.
The Blues received an early blow in the form of a shoulder injury to goalkeeper Petr Cech, who will miss the rest of the campaign, and also lost skipper John Terry to a foot injury.
But Azpilicueta feels his side’s defensive tactics paid off as they prevented Diego Simeone’s team from scoring for the first time in 11 games in the tournament this year and said that they would go out for a win in the return leg at Stamford Bridge next week.
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“It's not a great result because it is a zero, but it is positive anyway. It was a serious game. Though they dominated, we held till the end”, the Spanish international told beIN Sports.
“There was an early injury to Petr and John, but when there is injury or suspension, you must work harder and that's what we did.
“The group is strong enough to answer that. We are confident, we believe in us. It will be a very complicated match in London, and we will work hard to win and qualify”, the 24-year-old added.
Chelsea, currently second in the Premier League, five points behind leaders Liverpool, will face the Reds on Sunday in an attempt to get back in the race for the English title.
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