Ballack and Kalou give CFR their due

Chelsea FC's players paid tribute to CFR 1907 Cluj after a tense evening at Stamford Bridge ended with a 2-1 victory for the London club and a place in the knockout rounds for the sixth successive campaign.

No pressure
The Romanian outsiders – certain of finishing last in Group A whatever the Matchday 6 results – played without pressure or expectation and caused Chelsea problems. For a 16-minute spell in the second half they were holding last season's runners-up at 1-1 after Yssouf Koné's header had cancelled out Salomon Kalou's opener.

Fighters
Michael Ballack said Chelsea's difficulties should have come as no surprise bearing in mind CFR's earlier performances in the competition. "We knew from the first game with them how good they are – not just the result [a 0-0 draw] but their performance as well," said the German midfielder, "but it wasn't just against us, Cluj also showed against Roma and Bordeaux that they can fight and play football."

Improvement needed
Kalou, scoring in the UEFA Champions League for the first time since last season's first knockout round victory over Olympiacos CFP, added: "It is not easy for us when the other team plays that well. They made things difficult for us and it's up to us to improve and control more of the game."

'Big player'
It was substitute Didier Drogba – making his comeback appearance after missing most of the season through injury and suspension – who eased Luiz Felipe Scolari's team to victory by supplying a smart finish with 19 minutes remaining and his team-mates are delighted to see him return. "Didier showed again that he is a big player," Ballack said. "It was not easy for him to come back after injury and suspension but he took his goal really well."

Final target
Now the first part of their quest has been achieved, Chelsea will take stock over the winter break and prepare for the knockout rounds. After finishing behind Roma they will face a group winner in the last 16 but are nevertheless confident they can go all the way again after losing on penalties to Manchester United FC in last season's final. Kalou said: "We will work hard to try and win this trophy and we are in a good position to do it." Ballack acknowledged that it will be difficult to reach the final for the second year running but said: "That is our target. We will see who we get in the next stage and then take it round by round."