No respite for beleaguered Blues

CHELSEA blew the chance to put one foot in the Champions League knockout stage last night but their failure to beat Genk was overshadowed by another racism storm for the beleaguered club.

The Blues threw away a half-time lead at the Cristal Arena, with Ramires putting them ahead and David Luiz missing a penalty before Jelle Vossen exposed more bad defending by netting Genk’s first goal of the competition.

That threw Group E wide open with two matches remaining but of far more concern to Chelsea will be the behaviour of their fans, who repeatedly chanted about QPR defender Anton Ferdinand in response to the John Terry racism inquiry.

After the final whistle, a spokesperson for Chelsea said: “The chanting was wholly inappropriate and we don’t condone it.”

Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas bemoaned Chelsea’s failure to take their chances. “The first half was very good and we managed to get the goal we wanted,” he said.

“We had fantastic opportunities to win the game but it just didn’t happen. We came out with a draw so not everything is negative but we could have been better.”

Chelsea had pounced for the lead in the 25th minute when Ramires played a lovely one-two with Fernando Torres, burst into the box and drilled the ball underneath Laszlo Koteles from a tight angle.

Ramires should have doubled his own tally 10 minutes before the break when he nodded Ashley Cole’s back-post cross wide after more good work from Torres, while Anthony Vanden Borre almost put the ball in his own net from Florent Malouda’s cutback. Meireles then rattled the crossbar with a 25-yard blast.

A second goal appeared inevitable and looked to have arrived six minutes from the break when Thomas Buffel handled Malouda’s cross in the box. David Luiz strangely took the penalty but Koteles guessed right and pushed the ball to safety.

Genk should have equalised in the 54th minute when Vanden Borre carried the ball 40 yards before threading in Kennedy Nwanganga, but the striker’s finish was too close to Cech.

But Genk levelled just past the hour mark. Again it was Chelsea’s right-hand side that was exposed, De Bruyne playing the ball to Fabien Camus whose cutback was swept home all too easily by Vossen.

Meireles should have restored Chelsea’s lead 16 minutes from time when he sent a free header straight at Koteles.

Lampard missed a sitter with 11 minutes remaining when he somehow failed to connect properly with Sturridge’s cross four yards from goal.

Chelsea might have been even more embarrassed late on when Genk substitute Anthony Limbombe forced a sprawling save from Cech, but they almost scored an extraordinary winner in stoppage time.

Lampard played in Malouda, who lifted the ball over Koteles only to see a combination of Anele Ngongca and Nadson clear the danger, narrowly avoiding an own goal.

GENK: Koteles, Vanden Borre, Hyland, Nadson, Ngcongca, Tozser, Buffel (Dugary 69), Camus, De Bruyne, Vossen (Barda 86), Nwanganga (Limbombe 82).

CHELSEA: Cech, Bosingwa, Luiz, Ivanovic, Cole, Ramires (Lampard 66), Romeu (Mata 77), Meireles, Malouda, Torres, Anelka (Sturridge 66).

Referee: Svein Oddvar Moen (Norway).