Didier Drogba lived up to his reputation as Chelsea's man for the big occasion as the Ivory Coast striker's brilliant free-kick won Saturday's FA Cup final against Portsmouth
Didier Drogba lived up to his reputation as Chelsea's man for the big occasion as the Ivory Coast striker's brilliant free-kick won Saturday's FA Cup final against Portsmouth.
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With Chelsea pressing for the goal their constant pressure deserved, it was Drogba who once again seized the spotlight on football's grandest stage.
He had already come close to breaking the deadlock in the first half at Wembley with an audacious long-range free-kick which James pushed onto the bar before the ball bounced to safety off the goalline.
That was one of a host of narrow escapes for Portsmouth as Chelsea hit the woodwork five times in the first half, with Drogba striking the post from a tight angle.
But Drogba was not to be denied. In the 59th minute, he won a free-kick, sized up his angles perfectly and bent a low shot past the Portsmouth wall and beyond James's despairing drive.
It was just reward for Drogba, who had already been crowned the Premier League's top scorer with 29 goals this season.
"It was fantastic, we have achieved the double. It was difficult to come back after winning the league last week," Drogba said.
"We hit the woodwork five times in the first half but we managed to concentrate and get the win."
Cup final success has come easily for Drogba since he arrived at Stamford Bridge from Marseille in 2004.Drogba scored in extra-time against Liverpool as Chelsea won the 2005 League Cup to give the Ivorian his first piece of silverware in England.
Two years later he scored in the League Cup final again as the Blues defeated Arsenal 2-1 in Cardiff's Millennium Stadium.
Just a few months later Drogba settled the first FA Cup final as his close-range strike earned a 1-0 win over Manchester United.
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