Chelsea slumps to 3-1 loss at AS Roma

Source: Agencies  |   2008-11-5  |     ONLINE EDITION

Chelsea slumped to a 3-1 loss at AS Roma in the Champions League yesterday, while Inter Milan and Liverpool needed late equalizers to avoid embarrassing defeats.

While Barcelona and Sporting Lisbon became the first teams to secure a place in the next round, Liverpool needed a penalty by Steven Gerrard in the fifth minute of injury time to draw 1-1 with visiting Atletico Madrid.

Inter, which hired coach Jose Mourinho in the offseason with the intention of winning the tournament, avoided a particularly humbling defeat when Julio Cruz scored in the 80th minute to salvage a 3-3 draw at Anorthosis Famagusta.

With Panathinaikos winning 3-0 at Werder Bremen, Inter still tops its qualifying group and should still qualify for the next round but the result could raise further doubts about Mourinho's future, especially with the Nerazurri in the doldrums in the Italian league.

If Inter does go on to have a successful season, Mourinho may look back upon Cruz's 12-meter header from Mario Balotelli's free kick as one of the turning points.

Inter twice led in the first half in Cyprus but Cedric Bardon and Giorgos Panagi scored to equalize goals by Balotelli and Marco Materazzi.

Five minutes into the second half, Inter defender Nicolas Burdisso tried to head away Bardon's right-wing cross but only glanced it into the path of Nikos Frousos, who hit a low shot past goalkeeper Julio Cesar and into the net.

Mourinho, who before this match had watched his team play out three scoreless draws and a labored 3-2 win over last-place Serie A side Reggina, responded by withdrawing Burdisso in a triple substitution.

But Inter needed goalkeeper Julio Cesar to make good saves from Vincent Laban and Andreas Constantinou before Cruz rescued his team.