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Chelsea: Asia Cup winners Chelsea

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posted on Jul, 27 2003 @ 06:12 PM
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Chelsea were crowned the inaugural FA Premier League Asia Cup champions in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday evening, beating Newcastle in a thrilling sudden-death penalty shoot-out.

With Chelsea leading 5-4, Newcastle midfielder Jermain Jenas missed the crucial spot-kick.

The England midfielder tried to chip Carlo Cudicini, but his effort floated high over the crossbar.

Jenas was left with his head in his hands and Sir Bobby Robson, apoplectic on the sidelines, with that familiar feeling of losing a penalty shoot-out.

A superb save from Shay Given, plus a little help from the post, had kept out Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Craig Bellamy's conversion then tied the scores at 3-3 after Newcastle missed their first two penalties.

Frank Lampard coolly put Chelsea ahead before Alan Shearer struck the bar and Laurent Robert's effort was saved by Cudicini.

In between, Given kept out Damien Duff, diving to his right, so when bandaged defender Robert Huth blasted his into the roof of the net, Chelsea led 2-0.

Kieron Dyer converted his effort, but so did a super-cool Eidur Gudjohnsen before Lee Bowyer, booed as he strode into the area, placed his shot into Cudicini's left-hand corner.

At 3-2, Hasselbaink had the chance to win it but Given guessed right and though the ball spilled out of his grasp, it hit the post and rolled out.

Bellamy, Joe Keenan, Jonathan Woodgate and John Terry all then converted before Jenas' chip sailed over.

The two sides had fought out an exciting, but goalless, 90 minutes in which Chelsea appeared the most dangerous.

First-choice strike duo Hasselbaink and Gudjohnsen linked cleverly but Newcastle goalkeeper Given was in top form, keeping the blue tide at bay and pulling off a magnificent second-half save to deny Lampard from 25 yards.

It was not all one-way traffic, though, with Newcastle threatening in the first half through Shola Ameobi.

Robson then introduced his big guns at the interval but neither Dyer nor Bellamy could make the most of their chances when sent through after superb vision from Hugo Viana.

Chelsea boss Claudio Ranieri introduced Duff with 10 minutes remaining, but despite the audible expectation of the crowd each time he got possession, the Irishman could not force the breakthrough.



 
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