Fenerbahce stunned Chelsea in the quarter-final first leg of the UEFA Champions League in Istanbul with a fantastic winning goal from Brazillian striker Deivid.

Chelsea had taken the lead and silenced a hostile hissing crowd with an own goal from Brazilian striker Deivid. Chelsea looked very comfortable and the Turkish team gave little resistenace to wave after wave of Chelsea attack.  But though midfielders Joe Cole and Michael Ballack were on their game, Didier Drogba squandered a hatful of chances with poor shooting and lack of team play.

Whatever Zico, the Fenerbahce manager and former Brazil midfield legend,  said in his half time team talk didn’t seem to change anything, immediately.  That is until he introduced former Brighton and Sheffield United forward Kazim Richardson on 54 minutes; and when Kazim Kazim (as he is known in Turkey) was put through the centre of Chelsea’s defence to score the equaliser, the stadium erupted.  For a moment I thought the speaker in my tv and popped!

Chelsea looked stuuned but not shocked.  That is not until the 81st minute when Deivid picked up the ball 30 yards from Carlos Cudicini and the Chelsea goal.  There didn’t appear to be any immediate threat until he let go a thunderbolt of a shot fly past a diving Cudicini and into the top right hand corner.  Cudicini had no chance.  Now Chelsea looked shocked!

If Chelsea fail to go through to the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League, fingers will be pointing at Drogba’s wasted opportunities and Avram Grant’s inability to make tactical changes.

When Chelsea was chasing the game in the last 10 minutes he substituted Joe Cole for Nicolas Anelka.  But instead of Anelka playing in the centre with Drogba, his natural role, he replaced Joe Cole on the right of a 4-3-3 formation!

John Obi Mikel has replaced Frank Lampard earlier in the second half, after Fenerbahce had equalised.  I can only assume this was to defend the draw more than attack for the win.

Chelsea’s 2-1 defeat to Fenerbahce was reminiscent of Claudio Raneiri’s semi-final loss to Didier Deschamp’s Monaco in the same competition a few years ago.  I predict Avram Grant will be leaving Stamford Bridge along with Drogba, Lampard, Malouda and a few others in the summer.

Even if they beat Fenerbahce in the second leg next Tuesday, I can’t see them beating any of the other teams left in the competition to progress further than the semi-finals.  I believe there is too much unrest behind the scenes which for one reason or another equates to Chelsea not performing as a solid team, as they did under the management and guidance of Jose Mourihno.