Atletico opened the game in a positive if slightly hesitant manner, passing the ball nicely and feeling their way into the game. On two minutes a foul on Jose Antonio Reyes by Ashley Cole gave the hosts a free kick on the right touchline. Simao floated the ball in, only for Chelsea to clear for a corner, from which nothing came.The first real attempt on goal of the game came in the fifth minute, when Diego Forlan sent a powerfully struck left-foot shot just wide of Cech's right-hand post from 25 yards.Chelsea began to look threatening in the eighth minute, with a slipping Didier Drogba putting a shot wide of the left hand post from inside the penalty area after the Blues had built pressure with some sharp and direct passing. Joe Cole began to become more prominent as the we approached the 15 minute mark, the point of Ancelotti's midfield diamond beginning to prick a little at the hosts' defence with his passing and vision. Overall though, Chelsea struggled for fluency in the early stages whilst Atleti looked unsurprisingly low on confidence after going six Champions League games without a win.Michael Essien was the first player into the book on 16 minutes after body-checking a counter-attacking Reyes - a challenge that left the Spaniard face down on the turf. Reyes almost exacted revenge on 20 minutes, swerving inside Essien in the inside right channel only to have his left-footed curler palmed away for a corner by Cech.Drogba continued to keep the home defenders honest though, working them hard with his hold up play. At the other end Terry and co looked solid, dealing with the occasional flurry from Simao, Forlan or Reyes with unfussy competence.Maybe it was frustration that saw Reyes booked for a needless challenge on Ashley Cole on the Chelsea penalty area on 26 minutes, although the forward was soon in the thick of things again as Atleti began to show some purpose. A passage of neat passing ended with Simao blazing a shot over from the left hand side, as coach Quique Sanchez Flores began to demand greater urgency with some passionate gesturing from the sideline.The first half drew to a close after rasping shot from Frank Lampard had flown wide, with the referee blowing the whistle on a somewhat scrappy affair that had shown some signs of coming to life at times.The second half started in much the same fashion though Drogba came close to breakingthe deadlock on 50 minutes, his long range driven free kick being tipped onto the post by Sergio Asenjo.The somewhat flat atmosphere at the Calderon then began to liven up a little, though the hosts still struggled to find any fluency in attack, despite occasional flickerings from Reyes and Florent Sinama-Pongolle, who made way for local hero Sergio Aguero on 53 minutes.The Argentine forced a save from Cech on 63 minutes, a well-struck free kick from 25 yards out on the right hand side of the penalty area sending the Blues keeper sprawling to his left to clutch the ball to his chest. And it was Aguero who volleyed the locals into a stunning lead on 66 minutes. A cross came over from the left seeking Diego Forlan, but the ball broke to the Argentine who struck it sweetly into the net from 12 yards out. Cech could do nothing.Ancelotti moved to remedy things on 69 minutes, making a double substitution. Nicolas Anleka replaced Salomon Kalou, whilst Deco came on for the fading Joe Cole. Atleti too made changes, with the hard-working Reyes ending his shift on 72 minutes, Maxi Rodriguez coming on.Deco sent a half chance wide after a cross from the left was palmed into his path in the penalty area by Asenjo, but Chelsea were starting to make the game look like hard work. Ancelotti stood watching, grim-faced and icily angry in his technical area.Unsurprisingly perhaps, it was that man Drogba who lifted the visitors' mood on 82 minutes. Malouda crossed from the left and the Ivorian leaped to head home in classic centre-forward fashion. Asenjo was a spectator as his net bulged.And Drogba almost won it for the Blues in the 87th minute. Ashley Cole played a through ball into the inside left channel. The Ivorian pounced on it 30 yards out and muscled his way past three despairing defenders before his shot was saved by Asenjo. The ball rebounded to his feet though and he made no mistake slotting the ball into the empty net from the edge of the area.Flores on the bench looked devastated, but it was his turn to be delighted once more on the stroke of 90 minutes when Aguero's fine free kick from 30 yards out found the top corner of Cech's net.There was more late drama as Drogba surged towards the Atleti penalty area and was brought down. The striker himself liined the free kick up from just inside the D. His effort was blocked as a game which had started with so little promise and blossomed into a thrilling draw ended soon afterwards.
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