Chelsea vs. Maribor: Score, Grades and Reaction from Champions League Game

Chelsea cruised to a 6-0 victory over Slovenian side Maribor in the Champions League on Tuesday evening, as Didier Drogba scored his first goal for the club since returning in the summer.

The Ivorian—whose last goal in blue came in the 2012 final of the competition—came off the bench to convert a 23rd-minute penalty for his side, after starting striker Loic Remy had injured himself in the process of breaking the deadlock at Stamford Bridge.

Captain John Terry then effectively clinched the points with his tap-in shortly after the half-hour mark, with Mitja Viler’s unfortunate own goal extending the advantage further before Eden Hazard rounded off the scoring with a penalty and a sublime individual effort in the closing minutes.

On a night of one-sided scorelines in the Champions League, this was not the most comprehensive, but Chelsea were nevertheless utterly dominant throughout. They successfully overcame one lapse—Nemanja Matic’s foul in the penalty area—when Agim Ibraimi’s spot-kick rebounded away off Petr Cech’s post.

The result leaves the Blues top of Group G with seven points from their opening three games, with Schalke’s victory over Sporting Lisbon elsewhere on the night meaning Jose Mourinho’s side can potentially clinch last-16 qualification with a repeat performance in the return fixture in Slovenia in two weeks’ time.

Afterwards, Drogba told ITV:

"

To finish with a penalty [to win the 2012 Champions League], and to start again with another penalty, it is nice symmetry.

I’m really happy because of the way we played today. We scored one but then we did not stop, we continued to play.

"

"We played seriously," Mourinho, who expects Remy to miss at least a few weeks, added. "We faced the game in the right way, it was an important three points for us but at the same time a game that the fans liked."

Alastair Grant/Associated Press

Few expected Maribor to pose much of a challenge to the Premier League leaders on the night and, while Mourinho did not disrespect his opponents with his team selection, he did use the opportunity to make a couple of changes. Frenchman Kurt Zouma started in the heart of the defence, while Filipe Luis and Cech also got rare starts.

Cesc Fabregas, Matic and Oscar comprised a familiar midfield, however, with Remy leading the line in the absence of the injured Diego Costa.

It was the Frenchman who broke the deadlock for the home side, although it came at a price for both the player and his manager. Terry’s raking pass from deep released the striker into space down the right, allowing him to open his legs and escape from the chasing defender. Remy cut inside onto his left and hit a low left-footed shot that flew unerringly into the far corner, although he seemed to be aware he had done himself some damage in the process, as he clutched at his groin rather than celebrate the strike.

With Costa on the sidelines, Mourinho did not feel he could take a risk with his back-up striker, causing him to withdraw Remy from the fray to get treatment. That meant Drogba joined the action in his place, still looking for his first goal in his second spell at the club. The perfect opportunity soon sprouted up.

It was a harsh decision against Maribor, as the referee penalised Ales Mertelj for a handball he seemed to know little about. Hazard is Chelsea’s usual penalty taker but the Belgian, perhaps aware of the sentimental nature of the moment, deferred to Drogba—the striker running first to his team-mate after firing the spot-kick into the bottom corner without issue.

"I wanted to score that goal," the veteran told ITV after the game. "I asked [Hazard] and he said 'no problem.' That is the spirit in this team."

From that point onwards, Chelsea were in complete control, allowing the fans to enjoy a night where the full-backs moved forward regularly to assist in attacking the Maribor goal. The third goal came from one such rampaging rung—except the beneficiary was John Terry, who rushed 95 yards to join a Chelsea counter-attack he had started, turning home Fabregas' cutback from just a couple of yards out.

Again Maribor were perhaps unlucky, with television replays indicating the defender may have been marginally offside.

Mike Hewitt/Getty Images

In the second half, the onslaught continued, with Maribor only managing to last six minutes before conceding their fourth goal. Again misfortune played a role, Vilar getting his feet in a twist as Hazard’s attempted cutback hit his heels and spun into the net.

After that came Maribor’s one chance, as Matic—under no real pressure—clumsily felled Ibraimi inside the box. The Macedonian stepped up and took the penalty himself; Cech guessed the right way and appeared to have the shot covered, although it may just have evaded the goalkeeper’s grasp as it hit the post and rebounded to safety.

After that disappointment, Maribor, perhaps pragmatically, tried to shut up shop and protect the scoreline, although that proved impossible—it was not just bad luck that had already left them so far adrift, after all. Winger Willian hit the crossbar with an emphatic strike in one of a deluge of chances the home side created, before Hazard took center stage in the final minutes.

Ten minutes from time, Marko Suler pushed over Ivanovic, after another of the right-back’s surging runs into the box. Hazard, no longer feeling so charitable, picked up the ball—sending the beleaguered Jasmin Handanovic the wrong way again as he side-footed into the same corner Drogba had chosen.

Then, as the game ticked into injury time, the Belgian got his second and final goal of the game. Substitute Nathan Ake was the provider, the youngster showing his vision as he released Hazard beyond the defence with a lofted through ball. The forward, who had enjoyed himself on the ball all night, jinked inside his man and then back outside, unleashing a right-footed shot across Handanovic that the goalkeeper could arguably have done better with.

The ball hit the back of the net, however, and Chelsea’s biggest-ever win in the competition was confirmed. Another win when they face this side again, and the Blues can start planning for the bigger challenges of the knockout stages. 

Alastair Grant/Associated Press

Player Ratings

Player	Rating
Petr Cech	7
Filipe Luis	7
John Terry	8
Kurt Zouma	7
Branislav Ivanovic	8
Nemanja Matic	7
Cesc Fabregas	7
Oscar	7
Willian	7
Eden Hazard	9
Loic Remy	7
Substitutions
Didier Drogba	7
Nathan Ake	7
Dominic Solanke	n/a

Player	Rating
Jasmin Handanovic	6
Marko Suler	5
Ales Mejac	6
Aleksander Rajcevic	6
Mitja Viler	5
Zeljko Filipovic	6
Agim Ibraimi	6
Petar Stojanovic	5
Damjan Bohar	6
Ales Mertelj	5
Tavares	5
Substitutions
Dare Vrsic	6
Luka Zahovic	6
Jean Mendy	6

What's Next?

Matchday 4 in this competition sees the reverse fixture take place in Slovenia, where Maribor will hope home advantage enables them to provide the Blues with a sterner test.

Chelsea's next Premier League game is at Manchester United this weekend.

Quotes taken from ITV's live broadcast of the match.