Petr Cech was not surprised to see us score a late second goal in Basel on Thursday.
The hosts had just equalised after Cesar Azpilicueta was harshly deemed to have committed a foul inside the area, only for David Luiz to strike a winner with the last kick of the game at the end of four minutes of added time.
‘They equalised but there was still time and I believed we would have another chance,’ the goalkeeper said afterwards. ‘We had enough from the counter-attacks and in the last second we managed to score. It was a goal we deserved. I have to say that they played really well, but we had more chances than them in the end and I think 2-1 is a fair result.
‘It was a pity by the time the penalty happened it was only 1-0. We all knew the decision was not correct and it made us angry for the last 10 minutes, which gave us the energy to press and get the last chance. It gives us a good advantage for the second leg.’
Cech believes we should now see the tie out, with a narrow but potentially decisive advantage to take to Stamford Bridge next week.
‘I think a little bit of experience, it’s always important,’ he said. ‘We played many European semi-finals and in the end I think the difference paid off when we managed to score the second goal.
‘We have to give credit to Basel, they played really well. It’s a fantastic achievement for their club, they are fighting, but we have given ourselves a good advantage for the home game. We know how difficult it is to kill the game off and win the tie, but this could give us the edge and we hope to wrap it up at home.’