Bayern's sweet revenge in Super Cup

It will never completely erase the memory of that Champions League final in May 2012 where Didier Drogba's penalty crowned a history victory for Chelsea at the Allianz Arena, but Bayern Munich will have taken some pleasure in Friday's Super Cup triumph.

Javi Martinez's extra-time leveller forced the tie into a penalty shootout and it was Romelu Lukaku's soft spot kick which enabled Pep Guardiola's men to gain some revenge over Chelsea.

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Nothing separates Manchester United & Chelsea

A cagey game in which both sides were happy to settle for a point, Monday night's stalemate at Old Trafford lacked the explosiveness many had predicted.

Perhaps not as unlikely, however, were the comments from Jose Mourinho after the match, who called on Wayne Rooney to clarify his situation at Manchester United.

"If now, he doesn't want to leave, we are out of the thing. We need to know what is happening," said the Chelsea boss.

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ReMOUnion: Chelsea stars welcome back the Special One

 

The day most Chelsea fans have been eagerly anticipating is almost upon us.

Having ended his stay at Real Madrid on Saturday, Jose Mourinho is expecting to confirm his return to Stamford Bridge this week.

The 'Special One' is flying to London on Monday to complete the move, and the Chelsea players - particularly the likes of Frank Lampard, John Terry and Petr Cech - are likely to roll out the blue carpet for his return. 

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#bunchofcaps: Centurion Ashley Cole finally accepts England captaincy

 

After earning over 100 caps for England, Ashley Cole has finally accepted the captain's armband for the friendly against the Republic of Ireland on Wednesday night.

The left-back has been one of England's most consistent performers for over a decade, but his career has not been without controversy.

Cole was fined in October 2012 by the FA for comments on Twitter related to the John Terry racism case, having given evidence to the independent commission.

The Chelsea defender also allegedly fired an air rifle at an intern at the club's Cobham training ground in 2011.

There had also been some confusion as to whether or not Cole had actually accepted the captaincy following comments from England boss Roy Hodgson.

"Frank [Lampard] and I are happy that [Cole] will lead the team out but Frank still remains the captain of the team," he said, before later clarifying the situation.

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Benitez bolsters CV as Chelsea celebrate Europa League glory

 

Chelsea secured their second European title in two seasons on Wednesday, seeing off Benfica in Amsterdam to win the Europa League final.

Fernando Torres opened the scoring for the Blues and although Oscar Cardozo equalised for Jorge Jesus’s men, Branislav Ivanovic’s late header won the title for Rafael Benitez’s men.

The win follows last season’s Champions League triumph and means Rafael Benitez has now become just the fourth manager to win the Europa League (or Uefa Cup in its previous incarnation) more than once.
 

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Rafa hits the jackpot as Luiz sends Chelsea into Europa League final

 

David Luiz was the toast of Stamford Bridge on Thursday night as he completed the scoring to help Chelsea beat Basel 3-1 in the Europa League semi-final second leg.

The Brazilian has developed something of a reputation for a stunning goal, and his latest - a thunderous curling strike into the top corner - was no exception.

The victory saw Chelsea secure a 5-2 aggregate victory, giving Rafa Benitez the chance to contest a Europa League final and finish his interim stay at Stamford Bridge with a piece of silverware. 

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Goodbye Bernabeu! Mourinho welcomed back at the Bridge

 

Jose Mourinho gave the biggest indication yet that he is set to leave Real Madrid at the end of the season after watching is side suffer elimination from the Champions League to Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday night.

"I know I'm loved in England," Mourinho said after Madrid won 2-0, but were beaten 4-3 on aggregate by the Bundesliga side. "Loved by the fans, the media. I know I'm loved by some clubs - especially one."

Goal.com understands the Special One has agreed a deal to return to Chelsea, with Falcao set to follow him to Stamford Bridge.

And while Branislav Ivanovic has admitted the Blues 'cannot wait' for Mourinho to return, the likes of Sergio Ramos and Iker Casillas might be pleased to see the back of him at the Bernabeu.
 

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Coaching Chelsea not so easy for Benitez

 

Struggling for consistency and on the brink of an exit from the Europa League in the last 16, things have not gone smoothly for Rafa Benitez at Chelsea so far.

The Spaniard has received little sympathy from former Blues boss Avram Grant, however, who this week stated managing at Stamford Bridge is "easy."

“I don’t think Rafa Benitez will be replaced any time soon,” Grant said. But, let me tell you something, coaching at Chelsea is very easy.

“It’s way easier than coaching West Ham, for instance, because you have a very big budget and top players to choose from. All you have to do is go after the win.”

 

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England's Wembley win spoils Ronaldinho's parade

 

It was set up perfectly for Ronaldinho. In his unofficial 100th game for Brazil (he has made five appearances in games not recognised by Fifa), he was handed a chance from the penalty spot to get his name on the score-sheet at Wembley. A penalty against England? Well that's as good as a goal isn't it?

WRONG! Joe Hart superbly denied the buck-toothed magician with not one, but two, fine stops to prevent the 32-year-old marking his return to the Selecao (he hasn't played for them since November 2011) with a goal.

It got worse too. Luis Felipe Scolari replaced him at half-time and England went on to win the friendly with goals from Wayne Rooney and the evergreen Frank Lampard - perfectly marking the Football Association's first glamour friendly in their 150th anniversary. 

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