Lazio

Lazio's second time comeback makes them top of the group.

Chelsea: De Goey, Ferrer, Desailly, Leboeuf, Babayaro, Petrescu, Di Matteo, Deschamps, Poyet, Flo, Zola. Subs: Cudicini, Hogh, Sutton, Ambrosetti, Morris, Thome, Harley.

Lazio: Marchegiani, Negro, Couto, Mihajlovic, Pancaro, Stankovic, Veron, Simeone, Almeyda, Nedved, Inzaghi. Subs: Ballotta, Sensini, Conceicao, Boksic, Salas, Mancini, Gottardi.

There have been may debates recently whether English football is better than Italian. And this match made many points to talk about regarding this controversy. Chelsea needed only one point to win the group. And Lazio needed a win to qualify. Italians were one goal down after the first half of the game with all the possession and scoring opportunities on their side. Chelsea didn't play well at all. Lazio needed to score 2 goals and not to concede any. The mission was completed succesfully. They simply overplayed Vialli's side and left the controversy open.

Lazio were technically employing a 4-5-1 formation but Pavel Nedved and Dejan Stankovic were advancing down the flanks and the Czech delivered a pinpoint cross for Inzaghi after just two minutes only to be denied by keeper Ed de Goey's reactions.

The Dutchman also had to tip around the post a shot from the roaming figure of Juan Veron, who was stamping his class on central midfield, around the post, while Stankovic headed just over the top. While Chelsea were being over-run in midfield, at least they remained dangerous intermittently on the counter-attack, with a half-volley by Gianfranco Zola being well saved by keeper Luca Marchegiani, while Tore Andre Flo back-flicked just wide.

It was enthralling end-to-end entertainment but the good was almost inevitably soon followed by the bad and the ugly. The bad was Chelsea's increasing desperation in defence, while the ugly was a series of badly-timed challenges and, especially, dives by the Lazio contingent.

Fernando Couto and Tore Andre Flo, who also clashed in Rome, were the first to get involved and then Matias Almeyda aimed a sly arm into the Norwegian's head on the ground.

Apart from one caution for Roberto Di Matteo, referee Vitor Manuel Nelo Pereira seemed strangely reluctant to act decisively until he finally cautioned Couto - who was later sent off - for pushing Frank Leboeuf and the Frenchman for a theatrical over-reaction. Leboeuf further enraged Lazio by playing on while Stankovic was writhing on the ground after being tripped but, amid all the amateur dramatics, at least the goalmouth action continued apace.

First Inzaghi missed his kick under severe pressure from Leboeuf after de Goey had spilled Mihajlovic's free-kick, then he missed the target with a clear header. But after Flo's header had been acrobatically clawed away by Marchegiani, Chelsea - so often the masters of missing countless chances themselves - gave their opponents an object lesson in finishing.

It still took a slightly-deflected thunderbolt strike from Poyet to break the deadlock as the Uruguay international let fly from 25 yards out after Didier Deschamps had finally made an impact by dispossessing Nedved.

With Feyenoord drawing in Marseilles at half-time, the Italians were roused to appear at least two minutes early for the second period with another striker, Alen Boksic, now on for Stankovic. The Croat soon escaped the attentions of Marcel Desailly - only to fire into the side-netting - while Nedved also shot weakly wide.

But eventually Lazio scored the equaliser which their inventive and determined attacking play had merited. Nedved's control let him down so badly inside the penalty area that he was forced to cross into the six-yard area - but there was Inzaghi sliding in with Desailly to bundle the ball across the goal-line on 54 minutes.

Leboeuf was soon replaced by Jes Hogh but Lazio still went ahead when Mihajlovic struck a brilliant free-kick from the tightest of angles and the ball flew over the packed penalty area and dipped under the bar just inside the far post.

After Petrescu had been denied by Marchegiani Vialli threw on two Englishmen - but neither of them was striker Chris Sutton as Jody Morris and Jon Harley instead replaced Babayaro and Di Matteo.

The Portuguese referee had turned down appeals for handball against Diego Simeone, he did hand the Blues a lifeline by dismissing Couto for his second bookable offence - a foul on Flo.

Chelsea pressed forward with increasing desperation from then on only for Petrescu's shot to be cleared off the line by the sliding figure of Negro, while a header by Morris was saved. Lazio therefore celebrated a famous victory - even if the Chelsea stewards manhandled several of their players away from their attempts to throw their shirts to the crowd.

The Blues, meanwhile, were left to contemplate a quarter-final against either arch domestic rivals and European champions United, last year's losing finalists Bayern or many people's current favourites, Barcelona.