Chelsea plays Napoli in the Champions League this evening, marking just the third competitive encounter between the two teams.
The previous two-legged tie occurred over a decade ago and is memorable in Chelsea’s history.
Chelsea’s European journey seemed nearly over after a disappointing match at Stadio San Paolo in 2012. Ezequiel Lavezzi scored twice for Napoli, with Edinson Cavani also finding the net, leading to a 3-1 loss for Chelsea.
This first-leg defeat put significant pressure on Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas. Chelsea had paid Porto €15 million (£13.3 million) to hire Villas-Boas merely eight months earlier, believing he was a rising star in coaching.
The previous season, he had led Porto to a treble and gained comparisons to Jose Mourinho, but he struggled with the expectations at Stamford Bridge. Following the Napoli loss, another defeat at West Brom ended his short stint.
Roberto Di Matteo, the assistant manager, took over as interim coach, which marked a pivotal moment in the club’s European journey. In his first match, a goal from Didier Drogba led Chelsea to victory against Stoke, setting the stage for the return leg against Napoli in London.
In a thrilling match, Drogba and John Terry scored to give Chelsea the lead before Gokhan Inler leveled the match, igniting cheers from Napoli fans.
However, Chelsea responded. Frank Lampard converted a penalty to level the aggregate score and took the tie into extra time, where Branislav Ivanovic’s powerful shot secured Chelsea’s place in the quarter-finals.
This comeback was just the beginning. Chelsea advanced past Benfica in the quarter-finals and eliminated reigning champions Barcelona in a memorable semi-final.
In the final, Chelsea faced Bayern Munich and managed to win on their home ground, becoming the first London club to win the Champions League.
This remarkable journey started with that night against Napoli.
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