Lavezzi and Cavani goals give Napoli victory over Chelsea

An Ezequiel Lavezzi double either side of an Edinson Cavani strike made the difference as Napoli came back from a goal down to put themselves in the driving seat of their Champions League first knockout round tie with a 3-1 win over Chelsea yesterday evening.

Chelsea scored the first goal when they found a breakthrough in the 27th minute. Throwing large numbers forward, they put home skipper Cannavaro under pressure and the defender miskicked as he tried to clear Daniel Sturridge's pass. He succeeded only in playing in Mata, who exuded coolness with a simple side-footed finish.
Napoli, however, got back on level terms just over five minutes before the break. Cavani, on the turn, played it square for Lavezzi on the edge of the area. The Argentine had no trouble moving past Meireles before curling the ball into the bottom corner with a sublime right-footed finish.

Just as it seemed that the visitors would reach half-time on equal standing, Cavani was allowed to get past Ivanovic as they raced to meet a cross from deep on the right. The Uruguayan reached the back post and threw his shoulder against the delivery, doing enough to divert it into the net and secure a lead at the break.

The Blues were dominating the half but Luiz made a horrendous mistake at its midway point, attempting to deal with an innocuous long pass forward from Campagnaro by flicking it away with flair but succeeding only in surrendering it to Cavani, who once again passed square to Lavezzi. The forward dispatched it with ease to earn his side a two-goal cushion.
Chelsea added more pressure late in the second half as they searched for another away goal, Lampard hitting a testing long shot into De Sanctis' arms in stoppage time, but it ended with Napoli in control of the tie.

Meanwhile in the earlier match Real Madrid were looking to go home with a victory when CSKA Moscow scored a late equaliser to deny they the victory.
Pontus Wernbloom made Real Madrid pay for a string of misses as CSKA Moscow pinched an improbable 1-1 draw when they looked certain to head to the Bernabeu behind in the Champions League last-16 tie.

Ronaldo opened the scoring after 28 minutes when hapless defending, first in giving the ball away in the right-back area and then when defending the cross that followed, presented him with the opening. Madrid seemed to have staved off any danger, so they were stunned when the leveller went in.

Dzagoev's cross was not the most menacing and Vasili Berezutski's header on was merely hopeful. But Aleksei Berezutski was smart in not going for the target, and before the Madrid defence reacted Wernbloom had smashed in the ball from seven yards.