FINAL WHISTLE VERDICT: IN CONTROL-chelseafc.com

Demba Ba's 27^th-minute strike proved decisive as the Blues moved back into third in the Premier League table with a 1-0 win over West Bromwich Albion at Stamford Bridge.

The Senegalese striker scored his fourth goal for the club, stabbing home from close-range after good work from Oscar and David Luiz.

It was a game in which we dominated for long spells, but our failure to put the game to bed allowed the visitors to apply the pressure late in the game.

Thankfully, however, we held on for three valuable points, and Rafael Benitez believes we are now in a good position in the race to finish in the top four…

On the performance'I was really pleased with the performance of the team,' said the Blues boss. 'In some games we've played really well, but not always. Today, for 75 minutes we were in control with good play, good passes and great opportunities.

'Their goalkeeper [Ben Foster] was Man of the Match for me, that says a lot, we had a lot of attempts, played some really good football and the atmosphere was very good.

'I was really pleased with the fans behind the team, and the players played with more confidence, it was clear that it was positive.

'I was really pleased with Demba Ba scoring the goal and I would like to enjoy today.'

On Foster's display'You cannot tie the goalkeeper's hands together, we had a lot of chances and he was really good, we couldn't beat him.

'We created lots of opportunities to score more goals and kill the game off but we didn't do it. Still, we were defending well and kept a clean sheet, so I'm pleased with the response of the players.'

On the race for a top-four finish'There are still 10 games to play, it's still a long race but we are in a good position and we have confidence we can finish in the top three. We will see what happens tomorrow.

'The main thing is the team, and we needed the three points, that was the most important thing.'

West Bromwich Albion manager Steve Clarke, meanwhile, was disappointed in the goal his side conceded.

'We thought we prepared well enough to get a positive result but we went to sleep from a set-play,' said the former Chelsea player and coach.

'When you go to the top teams, and make no mistake, Chelsea are a fantastic team with top players, you have to stay in the game for as long as possible.

'I'm always pleased when I come back to Chelsea, and the fans remember me,' he added.

Indian football's unique story

Where does the oldest existing football competition in the world outside Britain take place?

If you’re among the many who don’t know the answer, prepare for surprise. For it’s not the Copa del Rey or the Campeonato Paulista – the most ancient surviving tournaments in mainland Europe and South America respectively – but the Durand Cup in a seemingly remote spot on the footballing atlas: India.

It may sound like a freak curiosity from a nation that is monopolised by two other sports – Indiahave won twice as many men’s Olympic field hockey golds as any other country, while its Twenty20 cricket championship is among the richest events in the world – but scratch beneath its surface and one will uncover a series of enchanting idiosyncrasies.

Mahatma Gandhi, the anti-violence pioneer who led India into independence, used football to help break racial barriers in South Africa and social ones in his homeland; the Indian footballers’ bravery and brilliance in bare feet at the 1948 Olympics earned them no less a fan than Princess Margaret, the younger sister of the then and still-reigning Queen Elizabeth II; Salien Manna was the only Asian to ever make the list of the world’s ten best captains in the English FA’s celebrated football yearbook; India were the dominant force in international football’s infancy in Asia; and the East Bengal-Mohun Bagan clash once boasted a stupefying attendance of 130,000 fans, and regularly attracts crowds of between 80,000 and 105,000.

Humble beginnings to I-League exposure
The British were responsible for introducing football to countless countries the world over in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, but they took it to India much earlier. British soldiers, indeed, began playing the game with locals in the late 1840s, and in 1854 the first recorded match took place there between Calcutta Club of Civilians and Gentlemen of Barrackpore.

The Durand Cup was inaugurated in 1888 – it remains the fourth-oldest existing football event across the globe, behind the English FA Cup, the Scottish Cup and the Welsh Cup – and more competitions came into existence in India the following decade. They were, however, all monopolised by the British clubs until 1911, when Mohun Bagan upset East Yorkshire regiment 2-1 in the IFA Shield final. That proved the catalyst in football’s popularity boom in Kolkota.

Mohun Bagan, one of Asia’s oldest clubs having been founded in 1889, and East Bengal became instant rivals upon the latter’s 1920 inauguration, with their battles thereafter bringing ‘The City of Joy’ to a standstill.

“Kolkata’s a massive place for football – it’s without doubt the place to be in India,” East Bengal’s English coach Trevor Morgan previously told FIFA.com. “There’s cameras everywhere, so many pressers and tv stations. I coached the reserves for Hull City, and the media coverage here is on a par with the Premier League. Fans are absolutely crazy for football. There were even thousands of fans at the airport when we returned after winning the Federation Cup. They lay at your feet, touch your feet as a mark of respect. The fans live for football.”

While East Bengal and Mohun Bagan remain easily the most successful teams in Indian football history, and while Kolkota remains its firm hotbed, other teams and other cities have forged firm places on Indian domestic football’s map. Salgaocar and JCT – from the Goa and Punjab states respectively – have also enjoyed their own successes over the years, and the 2007 introduction of the impressively sponsored and cutely marketed I-League has soared the sport’s popularity all over the globe’s second-most populous country. Goa outfit Dempo have won three of its first five editions.

Glory to gloom and back again
India’s first international competition came at the Men’s Olympic Football Tournament London 1948, where they met France for a place in the second round. And if anybody had given the Asians a chance of a gargantuan upset on their way to Cricketfield Stadium, nobody did when they saw the Indians take to the pitch barefoot! The Europeans expectedly took the lead, but roared on by the crowd – who were in awe of them playing without footwear – India equalised and laid siege to their opponents goal thereafter. However, after missing two penalties, they were hit with a sucker-punch when Rene Persillon snatched a last-gasp winner for the Europeans.

“Princess Margaret told me how impressed she was that we could give such a good account of ourselves without boots,” India captain Talimeran Ao later recalled. Those words from the distinguished royal, whose father, George VI, was the last Emperor of India, were not the only source of pride the Indians took from that trip to Europe: before returning home, indeed, they beat Dutch giants Ajax in a friendly.

India, boasting super talents such as PK Banjeree and Neville D’Souza, established themselves as the best team in Asia over the next 15 years. They won the First Asian Games in 1951, incredibly reached the semi-finals at the Olympics five years later, overcame Korea Republic in the Fourth Asian Games decider in 1962, and finished as runners-up at the AFC Asian Cup two years later.

As the likes of Iran, Japan, Korea Republic and Saudi Arabia emerged, India descended into continental nobodies thereafter, until a stirring recent revival. Following the appointment of Englishman Bob Houghton in 2006, and inspired by outstanding forwards Baichung Bhutia and Sunil Chhetri, the Blue Tigers won the AFC Challenge Cup in 2008, back-to-back Nehru Cups and SAFF Championships, and last year participated in their first Asian Cup in 27 years. And under new coach Wim Koevermans, the Indians upset Cameroon on Sunday to make it three consecutive Nehru Cup titles.

“This is a golden era for Indian football,” enthused All India Football Federation (AIFF) president Praful Patel recently. “It’s no longer about cricket. Children in India are crazy about football. They have seen the national team’s success in recent years. Now they will see Sunil [Chhetri] playing in Portugal (Chhetri has joined Lisbon giants Sporting’s B side) and dream of emulating him. Football is the future.”

Messi rallies Barcelona ahead of Clasico

Lionel Messi admits that Barcelona need to raise their level after two below par performances for Tuesday's Clasico in the Spanish Cup against a Real Madrid side desperate for a morale boost.Barcelona made an almost faultless start to the season only dropping points in the league before Christmas with a 2-2 draw with Real Madrid at the Camp Nou, while they also lost against Celtic in the group stage of the UEFA Champions League.But now signs of tiredness are beginning to set in."Against Madrid we will have to produce our best football as we will be against a great rival. We need to be at our best in order to get into the final," said Messi, ahead of the semi-final showdown in the Catalan capital with the scores 1-1 from the first leg at the Bernabeu.The teams then go head-to-head again in the league at the weekend but with Madrid trailingBarcelona by 16 points in the table there is little more than pride at stake.

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Ronaldo double helps Real sink Barcelona

Cristiano Ronaldo continued his fine goal scoring record at the Nou Camp with a brace as Real Madrid beat Barcelona 3-1 to go through to the final of the King's Cup 4-2 on aggregate.The Portuguese hit a first half penalty and then knocked in a rebound after the break as Real took full advantage of their counter-attacks.Raphael Varane headed the third after 68 minutes while Jordi Alba got a late consolation.Real Madrid will now take on the winners of Sevilla and Atletico Madrid who play on Wednesday, the capital side enjoying a 2-1 lead from their first leg.Ronaldo has now scored in his last six visits to the Catalan capital and came out on top in his personal battle with Lionel Messi, who was largely anonymous in the game.The Argentine, however, has the chance to respond when the pair meet again in the league at the weekend.This was the vital game though for Real who trail leaders Barcelona by 16 points in La Liga after a poor campaign and it is their best chance of picking up some silverware outside of the UEFA Champions League, in which they are evenly poised against Manchester United after a 1-1 first leg draw at the Bernabeu."We knew how to play Barcelona and tactically we came out on top," said Real 'keeper Iker Casillas. "We were well positioned on the pitch and in all areas we were in control."It was a very strong performance and in defence we were superb. Cristiano was phenomenal. It was a 10 out of 10 performance and we deserve to be in the final.

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Valderrama: Colombia ready for World Cup return

Still preserving the curly golden mop that was his trademark during his playing days, there can be little doubt Carlos Valderrama remains the best-known face in Colombian football. Perfectly placed to analyse the current state of the game in Cafetero country, the 51-year-old former playmaker was in Zurich on 7 January to hand over the FIFA Puskás Award during the FIFA Ballon d’Or Gala.

There he spoke expansively and effusively to FIFA.com, giving his views on, amongst other things, the changing role of traditional No10s, the revival in fortunes of Colombia’s senior side, Jose Pekerman’s performance at the helm and the inexorable rise of Radamel Falcao.

FIFA.com: Carlos, the years go by but your legend remains as vibrant as ever. How much did it mean to be invited to take part at the FIFA Ballon d’Or Gala?
Carlos Valderrama: It’s something unforgettable. I was surprised to get the invitation, and that’s the truth, but it was a very good and pleasant surprise. I’m happy, pleased and proud to be here, because in a way I’m representing my country at an event I’ve always watched on TV. It was a real thrill to be invited.

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Uzbeks shine as Japanese stumble

Uzbekistan made a perfect start to this year’s AFC Champions League, with Tashkent duo Bunyodkor and Pakhtakor securing impressive wins against Japanese champions Sanfrecce Hiroshima and Saudi Arabia's Al Ettifaq.Iran’s Sepahan and Tractor Sazi also got off to winning starts, while FC Seoul became the only K-League side to grab three points despite their country’s dominance on the Asian stage over recent years. Join FIFA.com as we take a close look at the action across the continent.

The big match

RESULT -Al Ain 3-1 Al Hilal

Inaugural winners Al Ain from Group D firmly stated their intention of securing a second Asian title, outmuscling ten-man Al Hilal at home. The hosts had the better of the opening stages, but Abdulla Al Dosary headed the visitors ahead against the run of play on nine minutes.It took the home side 18 minutes to equalise, midfielder Omar Abdulrahman levelling with a stunning volley. The Al Ain No10 turned provider shortly after the restart, crossing for Alex Brosque who gave his side the lead.Al Hilal was reduced to ten men with the dismissal of Salem Al Dawsari for fouling Brosque in the area on 55 minutes, and although Abdullah Al Sudairy saved Mirel Radoi's spot kick, the Al Hilal goalkeeper could do nothing with Asamoah Gyan's stoppage-time strike. In the section's other match, a plucky Al Rayyan came from behind three times to hold Esteghlal to a 3-3 draw.

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