Chelsea keeper Mark Schwarzer made Champions League history last night, stunning Blues fans with his faultless performance against Atletico Madrid and proving that at the age of 41, it is still possible to achieve success in the highest ranks of football. In the 15th minute of last night’s semi final first leg clash at the Vicente Calderon Stadium, Chelsea’s primary stopper Petr Cech suffered a shoulder injury, seeing him taken out of the game just minutes later. A nail-biting moment for Chelsea fans, who deemed the unforseen event a devastating blow to their side; but substitute keeper Schwarzer stepped up to the mark and did his club proud with a flawless performance against the strong attack of Atletico Madrid. Former Chelsea captain Ron Harris commended the Australian stopper, who at 41 is the oldest player ever to have played in the knockout stages of the Champions League competition; for his solid display against the Spanish hosts.
He deemed Schwarzer’s mission for Chelsea a tough challenge owing to the immense pressure upon the player to perform as consistently as Cech, taking into account the Australian’s lack of game time this season.
He told FootballDirectNews.com: “Mark Schwarzer did ever so well coming on in a huge game like that and stepping into Cech’s shoes so early in the game. “He hasn’t played much this season for Chelsea and it must be difficult when you’re sat on the bench watching a big pressure game like that, to suddenly have to come on and perform well, with such high expectations on you. But he didn’t let Chelsea down. “And a real credit to the fella, he’s the oldest player ever to play in a Champions League,” he added.
