Barcelona stunned as Didier Drogba gives Chelsea Champions League hope with 1-0 first-leg victory Five. Blurs of blue kept throwing themselves in front of Messi's dancing feet. Gary Cahill took the magical little Argentine's presence in or near Chelsea's area as a personal affront. Messi could wriggle out of a straitjacket but not with Cahill in this form. The England centre-half embodied Chelsea's discipline, committing only one foul all night. Ashley Cole did not make even one foul, a remarkable feat as his duty was to deal with Dani Alves, an assignment akin to chasing a zephyr. Cole's outstanding contribution, reminding the world that he is back to his nimble, determined best, reflected the simple, but effective game-plan constructed by Roberto Di Matteo. In orchestrating his 10th win in his 13 matches as interim first-team coach, Di Matteo had instructed his side to throw a blue blanket across midfield, pressing hard and fast, and telling Cole and Ramires to de-fuse that right-sided missile called Alves. Barcelona's No 2 is so often the springboard for his team's attacks, so often a dangerous outlet. Highlighting Barcelona's strengths is not difficult; negating them is the hard part and Di Matteo's players did that brilliantly. As the plaudits were shared around Chelsea's players, some quiet satisfaction should be felt by Di Matteo. When André Villas-Boas was sacked, Di Matteo was asked to step up and steady the ship. He has brought peace to the dressing-room, handled the egos adroitly and guided Chelsea into the FA Cup final and to within 90 minutes of the Champions League final in Munich. Di Matteo is no fool, though. He will not get carried away by one great night. He was in Chelsea's midfield when they took a 3-1 first-leg lead to the Nou Camp in 2000, facing Pep Guardiola and eventually losing in extra-time. He knows the dangers that lie ahead. The Nou Camp is the most elegant ambush scene in Europe. Given the anticipated backlash, Chelsea will probably need to score. It is surely mission impossible to subdue Messi for three hours. But Di Matteo, the architect with willing builders, has given Chelsea a chance. Whether he has also given himself a chance of convincing Roman Abramovich that he is permanent managerial material remains to be seen. That remains unlikely but Di Matteo's CV will look more appealing to owners elsewhere after reviving Chelsea's season. His tactics of containing the entertainers will not have won universal approval. But Di Matteo has no Messi, nor Xavi, nor Andrés Iniesta to call on, no conductors of the orchestra. Chelsea, commendably, refused to let fear seep in their hearts. Di Matteo, sensibly, could not play Barcelona at their game; he had to man the barricades and try to nick a goal. Chelsea's fans would have settled for parity at the break. In the first-half they had only 25 per cent possession, managed only 130 passes to Barcelona's 402, were almost punished by Alexis Sánchez and Cesc Fàbregas, were indebted to Cech and their fans chanted "ole" on the rare occasions that their players managed to build a move. The Ivorian seemed more horizontal than vertical at times, and it became frustrating to watch, even if it did help Chelsea break up Barcelona's momentum. Yet Drogba took his goal well, totally vindicating Di Matteo's decision to start him ahead of Fernando Torres. Alexis Sánchez darted through early on, and lifting the ball over Cech and denied only by the bar. Cech then thwarted Iniesta, and Fàbregas wasted a golden opportunity with the follow-up. Back came Barcelona again, Messi releasing Fabregas, who dinked the ball over Cech. Ramires, capping an outstanding half, raced into the box and squared to Drogba, who beat Victor Valdés. Having spent periods of the half on the floor, Drogba celebrated by sliding across the grass, saluting the fans like a manic sergeant-major. Chelsea's defending was magnificent. Then Messi again. Frank Lampard was dropping back, helping put out the fires fanned by Messi. Barca kept hunting that away goal. When Messi whipped in a free-kick, the shaggy hair of Puyol flicked it on but there was Cech saving the day. Barca should have scored through Pedro, who hit the post, and Sergio Busquets in the final minute but Chelsea held firm. As their fans celebrated, the DJ played One Step Beyond. Chelsea must now prove the next step, at the Nou Camp, is not beyond them.