Lampard praise for capable Cudicini

His side might have missed the opportunity to progress to the UEFA Champions League knockout stages with two games to spare after the goalless draw at FC Schalke 04, but Chelsea FC midfielder Frank Lampard was grateful to substitute goalkeeper Carlo Cudicini for keeping the German side at bay.

Schalke praise
The stalemate brought Chelsea's seven-match winning run in all competitions to an end. However, it also kept the visitors a point clear of Rosenborg BK in Group B and four ahead of Mirko Slomka's third-placed side, although Lampard admitted the German club had the upper hand for much of the Matchday 4 encounter. "There was a great atmosphere and Schalke played very well from the first minute," said the England international.

'We showed resilience'
"We had two good chances in the first half but they had good ones at the end where they could have won," continued the 29-year-old. "It was a very tough game and we showed resilience. It is hard here because they come at you from the first whistle. If you come out with a draw sometimes you are happy and this was one of those times."

Sharp Cudicini
The role of Cudicini, a half-time substitute for Petr Čech, was instrumental in Chelsea's resistance and Lampard recognised the importance of having an outstanding goalkeeper in reserve. "Carlo is basically a first-team goalkeeper but Čech has been there for the last few seasons. He is one of the best in the Premier League even though he is only our second keeper. Matchplay keeps you that little bit sharper but when Carlo comes in he always looks as sharp as anyone."

Qualification ambition
Victory in Gelsenkirchen would have taken Avram Grant's side into the first knockout round and, although that might not have been achieved just yet, Lampard remains upbeat ahead of their next fixture, at Rosenborg in three weeks' time. "You have to remember that the goal is to qualify," he said. "Rosenborg have been doing very well but we will look to beat them. You cannot play well all the time, sometimes you have to dig in, especially after seven wins on the spin. We didn't play well but we got the result we wanted and hopefully now we can qualify in the next game."

Season's best
Despite failing to take the three points their performance merited, Schalke defender and uefa.com man of the match Heiko Westermann also remains confident that his side can progress, saying: "It was our best game of the season. Tactically we were very good and we created many chances. We were a bit frustrated before the game and played like we were up against it. We created the chances that we have not been able to in previous weeks. We still have to face Valencia [CF] away and Rosenborg at home and, although they will be hard, everything is still open."