Schalke managed to spring a surprise opening group match of the Champions League this season after a 1-1 draw with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. The German club came into the match on the back of the very poor form that has seen manager Jens Keller’s job come under threat in the last few days. After a 4-1 defeat against Borussia Mönchengladbach during the weekend, it was widely speculated that Jens Keller may not last until the weekend if Schalke suffered another heavy defeat against Chelsea. However, they managed to get a point at Stamford Bridge against all the odds.
Cesc Fabregas put Chelsea ahead within 15 minutes on the clock, but he appeared to have committed a major foul in the buildup to the goal. Chelsea were completely dominant for 60 minutes in the match as they create chances at will. Jose Mourinho decided to rest key players like Diego Costa and Oscar for this match. This was in anticipation of the upcoming clash with title rivals Manchester City on Sunday. This allowed Didier Drogba to start his first match since returning to the club as a free agent in the summer. The 36-year-old, though, was guilty of missing some key chances and Schalke made them pay with Huntelaar scoring the equaliser in the second half.
"When I look at this game, I am very proud of my team. With all the negative things happening, we played tactically top and some good football, too. I have to give a big compliment to my team for their performance. Every player did what he was supposed to do. It's possible Chelsea underestimated us but we did perform excellently from a tactics perspective," said Keller. The introduction of attacking players like Costa, Remy, and Oscar put pressure on Schalke but they held on for a point.