Former Eagles Captain Mikel recounts Champions league nightmare
Bad and bitter past experiences seldom leave the mind. That is the best way to explain the feeling of former Super Eagles Captain John Obi Mikel as he recounted bitter Champions League experience in 2009 while still with Chelsea. The Eagle with a Russian wife opened up on the carnage in the Chelsea dressing room moments after their controversial Champions League semi-final exit at the hands of Barcelona in 2009.
Obi’s account as reported by the Dailymail recalled how the last four encounter at Stamford Bridge was infamously branded a ‘f***ing disgrace’ by Didier Drogba on live television, after referee Tom Henning Ovrebo had ignored four penalty appeals from the hosts on the night.
Barcelona won the second leg of the semi-final tie with the Blues on away goals thanks to a late strike by Andres Iniesta, while Ovrebo admitted years later that he made several mistakes during the encounter.
Mikel, now at Stoke City, recalls how the chaos on the pitch spilled over into the tunnel and dressing room at Stamford Bridge on that night. Although the Nigerian international who made 249 appearances for the Blues between 2006 and 2017 before leaving the Bridge was an unused substitute that night,the “movie” of the night was not funny to say the least.
‘It was chaos in the tunnel and the dressing room afterwards,’ the former Chelsea midfielder told The Athletic. ‘Bottles, things flying everywhere. Tables were being smashed. Everyone was shouting and screaming.
‘Mind you, one could say that was normal after that Chelsea team lost games!
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‘I don’t know about now but losing back then was definitely not acceptable at all… but that was a really crazy night. Drogba lost it on the pitch and then it just carried on from there.’
The catalogue of errors from the Norwegian officials led to heated scenes at full time, with Guus Hiddink’s men failing to keep their cool with the match being watched by millions.