Match ends, Steaua Bucharest 0, Chelsea 4.
Steaua Bucharest 0-4 Chelsea
- From the section Football
Ramires scored twice as Chelsea recorded their first points of this season's Champions League group stage with victory over Steaua Bucharest.
The Brazil midfielder opened the scoring when he poked in after initial good wing-play from Andre Schurrle.
Daniel Georgievski then found his own net after a Samuel Eto'o shot was parried into his path before Ramires fired in the third after the break.
Frank Lampard slotted in the fourth off the post in stoppage time.
Media playback is not supported on this device
Chelsea lie third in the table, level on three points with Basel, who defeated the Blues in their opening Group E match.
Schalke beat the Swiss side and have now won two out of two - the Bundesliga side face the Blues next in what promises to be a mouth-watering double header
In Romania Chelsea produced an adequate performance against poor opposition, although the sprightly displays of both winger Schurrle and playmaker Juan Mata would have buoyed manager Jose Mourinho.
Schurrle, who joined from Bayer Leverkusen this summer for £18m, had his best game so far in a Chelsea shirt although he was helped by the sub-standard defending of full-back Georgievski.
The 22-year-old German played a key role in the first goal, racing past the Macedonian right-back before playing a square pass to Eto'o. The Cameroon forward poked the ball through a couple of defenders before it was prodded in by Ramires, who had timed his run to perfection.
Eto'o had only been on the pitch for eight minutes after lone frontman Fernando Torres came off with what looked to be a knee injury.
The substitute was also involved in Chelsea's second. Spaniard Mata broke free in midfield and found Eto'o, whose firm low shot was parried by goalkeeper Ciprian Tatarusanu and inadvertently slammed in by Georgievski.
With the cushion of a 2-0 lead, Chelsea were less conservative and more fluid in the final third after the break.
They made it 3-0 following a move that began with Schurrle showboating on the left-hand touchline to escape his marker. The Germany international crossed low to Oscar, who laid the ball to Ramires on his right, who smashed home his second.
Both Mata and Oscar hit the woodwork with fierce efforts before veteran midfielder Lampard rounded off a good night's work for the 2011 champions with a placed effort that went in off the left-hand upright in stoppage time.
Steaua's best efforts came after they were 3-0 down, with both Nicolae Stanciu and Cristian Tanase testing Petr Cech.
Line-ups
Steaua Bucharest
- 12Tatarusanu
- 17GeorgievskiSubstituted forVarelaat 71'minutes
- 14Latovlevici
- 8Filip
- 4Szukala
- 6Gardos
- 77PopaSubstituted forMartinsat 45'minutes
- 55Bourceanu
- 25PiovaccariSubstituted forKapetanosat 45'minutes
- 23Stanciu
- 10Tanase
Substitutes
- 1Nita
- 11Prepelita
- 19Cristea
- 20Martins
- 26Neagu
- 33Varela
- 35Kapetanos
Chelsea
- 1Cech
- 2Ivanovic
- 3ColeBooked at 50mins
- 7Santos do Nascimento
- 4David Luiz
- 26Terry
- 11OscarSubstituted forAzpilicuetaat 79'minutes
- 8LampardBooked at 33mins
- 9TorresSubstituted forEto'oat 11'minutes
- 10MataSubstituted forWillianat 81'minutes
- 14Schürrle
Substitutes
- 12Mikel
- 19Ba
- 22Willian
- 23Schwarzer
- 24Cahill
- 28Azpilicueta
- 29Eto'o
- Referee:
- Carlos Velasco Carballo
Match Stats
Home TeamSteaua BucharestAway TeamChelsea
- Possession
- Home43%
- Away57%
- Shots
- Home10
- Away21
- Shots on Target
- Home3
- Away9
- Corners
- Home2
- Away3
- Fouls
- Home14
- Away14
Live Text
Full Time
Second Half ends, Steaua Bucharest 0, Chelsea 4.
Goal!
Goal! Steaua Bucharest 0, Chelsea 4. Frank Lampard (Chelsea) right footed shot from outside the box to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Willian.
Hand ball by Willian (Chelsea).
Petr Cech (Chelsea) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Lucian Filip (Steaua Bucharest).
Attempt blocked. Lucian Filip (Steaua Bucharest) left footed shot from very close range is blocked.
Corner, Steaua Bucharest. Conceded by Petr Cech.
Attempt saved. Cristian Tanase (Steaua Bucharest) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom left corner.
Substitution
Substitution, Chelsea. Willian replaces Juan Mata.
Substitution
Substitution, Chelsea. César Azpilicueta replaces Oscar.
Samuel Eto'o (Chelsea) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Cristian Tanase (Steaua Bucharest).
Foul by Andre Schürrle (Chelsea).
Fernando Varela (Steaua Bucharest) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Attempt saved. Samuel Eto'o (Chelsea) right footed shot from a difficult angle on the right is saved in the bottom left corner. Assisted by Frank Lampard.
Ramires (Chelsea) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Lucian Filip (Steaua Bucharest).
Attempt missed. Nicolae Claudiu Stanciu (Steaua Bucharest) left footed shot from the centre of the box is just a bit too high.
Attempt saved. Nicolae Claudiu Stanciu (Steaua Bucharest) right footed shot from the right side of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Iasmin Latovlevici with a cross.
Attempt blocked. Iasmin Latovlevici (Steaua Bucharest) left footed shot from the left side of the box is blocked. Assisted by Cristian Tanase.
Substitution
Substitution, Steaua Bucharest. Fernando Varela replaces Daniel Georgievski.
Attempt missed. Andre Schürrle (Chelsea) right footed shot from the left side of the box is close, but misses to the right. Assisted by Ramires.
Foul by John Terry (Chelsea).
Pantelis Kapetanos (Steaua Bucharest) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Corner, Chelsea. Conceded by Daniel Georgievski.
Attempt missed. Oscar (Chelsea) right footed shot from the right side of the box is too high. Assisted by Juan Mata.
David Luiz (Chelsea) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Cristian Tanase (Steaua Bucharest).
Attempt saved. Andre Schürrle (Chelsea) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Samuel Eto'o.
Hand ball by Cristian Tanase (Steaua Bucharest).
Attempt blocked. Pantelis Kapetanos (Steaua Bucharest) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Alexandru Bourceanu with a cross.
Delay over. They are ready to continue.
Delay in match Petr Cech (Chelsea) because of an injury.
Corner, Steaua Bucharest. Conceded by Petr Cech.
Attempt saved. Cristian Tanase (Steaua Bucharest) left footed shot from outside the box is saved in the top right corner. Assisted by Lucian Filip.
Foul by Andre Schürrle (Chelsea).
Alexandru Bourceanu (Steaua Bucharest) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Attempt blocked. Alexandru Bourceanu (Steaua Bucharest) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Cristian Tanase.
Juan Mata (Chelsea) hits the right post with a left footed shot from the centre of the box. Assisted by Oscar.