Chelsea crushes InterMilan at Rose Bowl

Half a game was all Didier Drogba needed to dazzle one of the largest crowds to ever watch an international friendly soccer match in Southern California.

Of course, Drogba is not complaining that he had some help from a spot-on Frank Lampard pass and a little deflection from InterMilan goalkeeper Vid Belec.

With 81,224 fans on hand at the Rose Bowl on Tuesday night for a World Football Challenge matchup between Chelsea FC and FC InterMilan, Drogba’s quick strike in the 11th minute was all the British boys in blue needed to dispose of the Italian champions.

“I think that Chelsea played very well in this game,” Chelsea Head Coach Carlo Ancelotti said after the game of his team’s 2-0 victory over InterMilan. “We took good control of the play, played very well as a team. I am happy with this game.”

Ancelotti was certainly happy when Drogba, who only played the game’s first 45 minutes, was the recipient of a fortunate bounce to give the FA Cup champions an early 1-0 lead.

In the 11th minute, a Lampard pass found Drogba, who launched a 30-yard shot toward the right corner of the goal. In his attempt to block the shot, Belec deflected the strike toward the right post and into the goal.

Lampard, who attempted five shots in the match (including three on goal), added a second score on a penalty kick in the 50th minute, when Ivan Cordoba of InterMilan blocked a Daniel Sturridge shot with his elbow.

In all, Chelsea attempted about twice as many shots as InterMilan, with the British squad attempting 21 shots, compared to just 10 for the Italian champions.

With one team clearly outplaying the other in Tuesday’s match, coaches for both teams seemed to have diametrically opposed viewpoints of what they took away from the international friendly. For Ancelotti, he said Chelsea took one step closer to the team he envisions taking the field every night.

“I feel good about the team, because I liked very much the mental attitude of the team,” the coach said during the post-match press conference. “It’s not so far to the team that I have in my mind.”

However, InterMilan assistant coach Daniele Bernazzani, who spoke to the media on behalf of head coach Jose Mourinho, was a little more pragmatic about his team’s loss, adding playing time and team progress mattered more than actually winning.

“This is an opportunity to play some young players and get them some action,” the assistant coach said. “The match (later this week in Boston) against Milan will be in the spirit of preparation for the season, and the result will not be as important as such a match can be.”

Either way, soccer fans were treated to a rare international soccer match in Southern California. The match’s attendance was the largest crowd to watch a soccer event in the area since the 1999 World Cup Women’s final between the United States and China.

A few fans hoped the large crowd will help spark a growing interest in soccer.

“It was an amazing experience to see some of the world’s best soccer players play at the Rose Bowl,” said Matt Watt, a soccer fan from Los Angeles who was enjoying the game from about 70 rows up. “I don’t think Americans truly appreciate the game of soccer.”

While some were just happy to see quality soccer in Los Angeles, others wondered if the American version of the sport can actually close the gap with its counter parts in Europe and South America.

“I hope American soccer can one day achieve the same consistent high level of play,” said Anu Mathur, a Los Angeles resident who was indifferent about the match’s winner despite donning a Chelsea jersey. “Overall, it was a great night.”

Net proceeds of Tuesday night’s match go to youth soccer organizations in the area, via the efforts of Los Angeles Futbol Club Chelsea headed up by La Cañada Flintridge resident and former parks commissioner Don Sheppard.