Valencia find Chelsea too strong to resist

VALENCIA, Spain, Apr 11 (Reuters) Valencia, eliminated from the Champions League by a late Michael Essien strike, were outbattled by the physical strength and determination of Chelsea.

''Chelsea have some great players, physically they are extremely strong and very hard to combat,'' Valencia captain David Albelda told reporters after the 2-1 defeat in the quarter-final second-leg at the Mestalla yesterday.

Valencia started the match on top, looked the more dangerous side in attack and took a deserved lead through Fernando Morientes just after the half hour.

But Chelsea stepped up a gear after the break, levelled the tie through Andriy Shevchenko in the 52nd minute and then proceeded to dominate with Valencia only staying in it thanks to some outstanding goalkeeping from Santiago Canizares.

Just as the game was poised to go into extra-time, the outstanding Essien popped up in the area and blasted a low shot into the net to settle the tie and put Chelsea into the semi-finals for the third time in four seasons.

''We could have scored another goal in the first half,'' said Albelda. ''But in the second they pushed so hard that it was difficult to resist and they pinned us back in our own half.

''There players are incredibly fit, although I think if we'd managed to hold out for 20 minutes in the second half things might have been different.

NO CHOICE ''They got the equaliser though and even though we didn't want to spend the rest of the match defending we had no choice.

''It was a very heavy blow and our hopes and dreams have been shattered, but we will try and be back next season.'' Coach Quique Sanchez Flores said his team did not have the same depth of resources as their opponents.

''Before the tie I wasn't going to say that we had less power than Chelsea, but now I can,'' he said. ''We don't have a squad of 21 players like them, but 14 players that are playing every three days.

''Chelsea players are better individually and physically than the ones we have. They never give up a game as lost and always have a chance of scoring because of the quality of the players they have.'' But Sanchez said that his side's run to the quarter-finals had been a valuable morale-booster.

''The four best teams in Europe will qualify for the semi-finals and we aren't one of them, but we have recovered our prestige in Europe and people know who we are again.'' Reuters SSC GC1640