Posted on 17 September by James Gallagher – Blog Manager, SCEE

Report From The Chelsea UCL Match

On Tuesday, I went along to Stamford Bridge to watch Chelsea play FC Porto in the UEFA Champions League. I got to stand at the side of the pitch while the players were warming up, grab refreshments at half-time, and even attend the managers’ post-match press conference. Suffice to say, it was a top evening.

Why am I telling you this? Because we’re looking to give you people the same opportunity. As you might have seen, PlayStation is one of the UEFA Champions League sponsors. As a result, we’re able to appoint a Young Journalist for matches and want to know if you’d be interested.

All you have to do in return is write a short match report to be posted on the blog the following day.

How Young Journalists are recruited varies between countries, so keep an eye on your local PlayStation.com for updates in the future. In the meantime, share your UEFA Champions League thoughts in the comments.

Anelka Snatches Victory in the Rain

Carlo Ancelotti was typically calm and quiet as he gave his post-match press conference, but he must have been relieved man.

Taking on last season’s quarter-finalists, FC Porto, in torrential rain and on a slick pitch, was not exactly the ideal curtain-raiser to Chelsea’s UEFA Champions League campaign, particularly with Didier Drogba and José Bosingwa both absent through suspension.

The first-half had a cautious feel as a result, with the home team taking the lion’s share of possession, despite the ambition of the Portuguese champions, with the appropriately named Hulk giving John Terry a few problems and Guarin missing a good chance from close range just before the break.

I’d only just taken my seat when Anelka finally broke the deadlock on 48 minutes, striking high into the goal from a tricky angle.

From there, the home side were able to settle in possession. The two full-backs in particular, Ashley Cole and Branislav Ivanović, enjoyed much time on the ball as Chelsea switched the play from one side to the other time and time again.

They did show signs of complacency however, with Essien in particular giving the ball away in his own half on a few occasions, but overall, it was a methodical second-half performance despite spirited opposition and an unpredictable pitch.

Next, the squad will travel to Cyprus to take on UEFA Champions League debutants, Apoel Nicosia, while FC Porto will host Atlético Madrid in two weeks time.

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