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Michael Ballack Admits Bayer Leverkusen Were 'A Little Bit Lucky' After Securing A Last-Gasp Champions League Win Over Chelsea
The former Stamford Bridge favourite conceded that a draw was probably the fair result, but insisted his side deserved something from the game after a spirited fightback
24-Nov-2011 5:01:00 AM
By Joe Wright
Christof Koepsel
Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Michael Ballack admits his side were “a little bit lucky” after snatching a last-gasp 2-1 win against Chelsea at the BayArena.
Manuel Friedrich headed home from a Gonzalo Castro corner in second-half stoppage time to give the hosts all three points and guarantee their passage to the knockout phase of the Champions’ League.
Chelsea saw a strong penalty appeal turned down when the scores were level, and former Blues star Ballack confessed that there was a touch of fortune to his side’s victory.
He told ITV after the match: "Of course it's always a little bit lucky if you score in the last minute, but we believed in ourselves.
"Being 1-0 down against Chelsea is always difficult. We believed, though. We thought ‘they are not in the best moment’, but of course in the end it was a little bit lucky."
The hosts were 1-0 down early in the second half after Didier Drogba’s well-taken finish, and Ballack feels that the goal helped to kick-start his side’s revival after they showed too much respect to their hosts early on.
The German added: "We have a young team. We started well, but I had a feeling we didn't believe we could win. Chelsea felt it I think, they came on strong and deserved the 1-0.
“Then we had nothing to lose, we got better and better and deserved the 1-1. In the end a draw would have been OK but of course, we got the victory."
The defeat heaps more pressure on under-fire Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boas, whose side have now lost four of their last five matches.
Ballack, who played more than 100 games for the Blues, refused to be drawn on mounting speculation over the young manager’s future, and backed his old team-mates to bounce back quickly.
When asked about the question marks over Villas-Boas, the 35-year-old said: “We have to think about ourselves.
"We are in the next round now and Chelsea play at home to Valencia so they still have a good chance.
“Every team has a difficult moment and they are in theirs now. They lost at the weekend, but they will come back.
“I know the players, they are very competitive - they are a strong side and they will recover."
Manuel Friedrich headed home from a Gonzalo Castro corner in second-half stoppage time to give the hosts all three points and guarantee their passage to the knockout phase of the Champions’ League.
Chelsea saw a strong penalty appeal turned down when the scores were level, and former Blues star Ballack confessed that there was a touch of fortune to his side’s victory.
He told ITV after the match: "Of course it's always a little bit lucky if you score in the last minute, but we believed in ourselves.
"Being 1-0 down against Chelsea is always difficult. We believed, though. We thought ‘they are not in the best moment’, but of course in the end it was a little bit lucky."
The hosts were 1-0 down early in the second half after Didier Drogba’s well-taken finish, and Ballack feels that the goal helped to kick-start his side’s revival after they showed too much respect to their hosts early on.
The German added: "We have a young team. We started well, but I had a feeling we didn't believe we could win. Chelsea felt it I think, they came on strong and deserved the 1-0.
“Then we had nothing to lose, we got better and better and deserved the 1-1. In the end a draw would have been OK but of course, we got the victory."
The defeat heaps more pressure on under-fire Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boas, whose side have now lost four of their last five matches.
Ballack, who played more than 100 games for the Blues, refused to be drawn on mounting speculation over the young manager’s future, and backed his old team-mates to bounce back quickly.
When asked about the question marks over Villas-Boas, the 35-year-old said: “We have to think about ourselves.
"We are in the next round now and Chelsea play at home to Valencia so they still have a good chance.
“Every team has a difficult moment and they are in theirs now. They lost at the weekend, but they will come back.
“I know the players, they are very competitive - they are a strong side and they will recover."
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