Frank Lampard was sent off and Big Phil Scolari's hard-boiled brow grows increasingly more furrowed by the match. The lamenting Chelsea manager appears to be struggling to fathom what is going on with his side in the Champions League after their latest botched attempt to get out of Group A.
A 1-1 draw of feverish proportions at Bordeaux on Wednesday evening leaves it all up in the air. The winners and runners-up rosettes of the group, and even the Uefa Cup place that goes with third, will have to be ironed out on what could yet be an uncompromising final day.
Chelsea have seen two chances to go forth drift away, and must confront a stomach-curdling home fixture with the have-a-go-heroes of CFR Cluj in a third and final game of chance.
After departing Bordeaux, Chelsea were not even top of the group, relegated to second place by AS Roma's 3-1 away win over Cluj. Chelsea, of course, went to Bordeaux having hemorrhaged goals in a 3-1 loss to Roma, and were subjected to an often frantic night against the French side. More than 30,000 fans appeared to get at them as much the home players. Chelsea seemed to be running on fumes by the end.
One could scarcely believe Chelsea walloped this side 4-0 in their opener at Stamford Bridge. If the Londoners somehow contrive to lose to Cluj, and Bordeaux manage a draw in Rome, they would still stumble on.
The only foreseeable problem for Scolari's side would be a Bordeaux win at Roma and a draw with Cluj, which in this current state of uncertainty, is not farcical.
Such a scenario would place Chelsea into a head-to-head with Roma, and would see the Italian side into the next phase. Unlikely one may think, but who would have guessed last season's beaten finalists would have found themselves gulping for air at such a late stage of proceedings. Cluj are out of Europe, but remain capable of providing a wicked little night having held Chelsea to a draw, and upsetting Roma away from Transylvania.
This could yet all spiral out of control for Chelsea, despite knowing for some time they had the home comfort of facing the Romanians in their final outing. A win would do it, but a win in Bordeaux would have done it. As was the way in Cluj, Petr Cech rescued them with some sparkling saves.
Before he departed late on for a second booking, Lampard played Nicolas Anelka in for the opening goal around the hour mark. Alou Diarra found a richly deserved equaliser with a header from a corner seven minutes from time that keeps Bordeaux in touch ahead of their trip to Rome. Hailing from France's wine region, the home coach Laurent Blanc spoke about a "vintage" effort from his men. A regretful Scolari saw it differently.
"It is a bad goal, the first time we have conceded a goal from a corner kick. We should have won easily after we scored," he commented.
Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal, who face Chelsea on Sunday, have reached the knockout stages with a bit to spare.
In such wintery times, Luiz Felipe may be full of bluster, but Chelsea, top of the Premier League, are making heavy weather of it.
dkane@thenational.ae
Company%20Profile
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Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
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Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, established Edge in 2019.
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Edge has an annual revenue of $5 billion and employs more than 12,000 people.
Some of the companies include Nimr, a maker of armoured vehicles, Caracal, which manufactures guns and ammunitions company, Lahab
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A Kensington Palace Gardens house with 15 bedrooms is valued at more than £150 million.
A three-storey penthouse at Chelsea Waterfront bought for £22 million.
Steel company Evraz drops more than 10 per cent in trading after UK officials said it was potentially supplying the Russian military.
Sale of Chelsea Football Club is now impossible.
The biog
Name: Capt Shadia Khasif
Position: Head of the Criminal Registration Department at Hatta police
Family: Five sons and three daughters
The first female investigator in Hatta.
Role Model: Father
She believes that there is a solution to every problem
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
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Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Tree of Hell
Starring: Raed Zeno, Hadi Awada, Dr Mohammad Abdalla
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TEACHERS' PAY - WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:
- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools
- average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say
- it is becoming more common for schools to provide accommodation, sometimes in an apartment block with other teachers, rather than hand teachers a cash housing allowance
- some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs
- maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills
- at the other end of the market, teachers in some Indian schools, where fees are lower and competition among applicants is intense, can be paid as low as Dh3,000 per month
- in Indian schools, it has also become common for teachers to share residential accommodation, living in a block with colleagues
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani