Shevchenko salvages Chelsea draw

LONDON, England -- Andriy Shevchenko salvaged Chelsea a draw in their opening Champions League Group B clash against outsiders Rosenborg at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea had been expected to start in style even though they lacked the likes of injured Frank lampard and Didier Drogba, but the Norwegians had different ideas.

Rosenborg stunned Jose Mourinho's side by taking a 24th-minute lead through Miika Koppinen and only Shevchenko's second-half leveller prevented an even more humiliating result.

Mourinho told television: "I think they were not a problem, we were the problem because it's a game you can win (by) five, six or seven. A team that can produce, produce, produce but doesn't put the ball in the net.... this is what football is about.

"(Rosenborg) defended, they tried to do things on the counter-attack. They did their game, and if i was in their place I would do the same. You have to use your ammunition, so I'm not criticising. I congratulate them."

Chelsea had not scored in their two previous Premier League games and the lack of a cutting edge was all too evident.

The misfiring Shevchenko looked pedestrian while Kalou flattered to deceive with jinking runs which failed to produced the end product.

Perhaps it was the half-empty Stamford Bridge which had put the Blues off their stride but they were caught out when Marek Sapara's free-kick was volleyed home by Koppinen.

Mourinho had made it clear on the eve of the match that a good start to the campaign was vital.

The Portuguese coach must have been seething by the way his side lacked invention, ideas and an instinct for goal.

Prior to the game, Mourinho's analogy for being without his injured players was to claim their absence was like trying to make an omelette without the best eggs available.

The attendance of 24,973 was the worst for Chelsea for four years and they had a lucky escape in the 51st minute when Alexander Tettey fired high over the bar from 18 yards.

It was a costly miss for the Norwegians as Chelsea finally found the net in the 53rd minute when Shevchenko headed a cross from Malouda over Lars Hirschfeld for the equalizer.

The goal was greeted by much celebration among the Chelsea players but Mourinho was far from impressed.

His concern was underlined moments later when Petr Cech was forced into a flying save to deny Yssouf Kone.

It was just the warning Chelsea required and they almost cracked it in the 61st minute when Shevchenko and Malouda combined superbly only for the France winger to see his shot cannon back off a post.

Chelsea were now camped in Rosenborg's half and in the 75th minute, Kalou shaved an upright with a curling shot after Shevchenko had found him with a simple pass.

But Rosenborg held on to take a point and the home side were greeted with more booing on the final whistle. end

David Villa struck after 63 minutes as Spanish hopes Valencia triumphed 1-0 at Bundesliga Schalke in the group's other game.

Real Madrid launched their Champions League Group C campaign with a 2-1 win over German club Werder Bremen in Spain.

Skipper Raul and Dutch marksman Ruud van Nistelrooy were on target for Real in their 300th European outing.

Real, top of the Primera Liga after three straight wins, were without injured duo Pepe and Gabriel Heinze and the suspended Mahamoud Diarra.

Real's new German coach Bernd Schuster still demanded an impressive performance and he wasn't disappointed when Raul headed in van Nistelrooy's low cross from the left side of the penalty area to put Real in front in the 16th minute.

That took the 30-year-old Raul's European haul to 57 goals to consoldiate his position as the competition's top scorer -- but the lead lasted only a minute.

Boubacar Sanogo slipped his marker to latch on to Dusko Tosic's cross from the right and fire past keeper Iker Cassilas from close range.

Both sides had chances in the second half before van Nistelrooy seized on to Raul's neat through ball on 74 minutes to side-foot past Weise for his 50th Champions league goal. E-mail to a friend