BARCELONA — Chelsea captain John Terry said he deserved his red card in Tuesday’s 2-2 draw at Barcelona which eliminated the holders and booked the Premier League side’s place in next month’s Champions League final.
Defender Terry was shown a straight red card by Turkish referee Cuneyt Cakir in the 37th minute for kneeing Alexis Sanchez in the back and will miss the final against either Real Madrid or Bayern Munich on May 19.
“It does look bad on the replay. I raised my knee which in hindsight I shouldn’t have done. No complaints from the replay,” the Englishman told Sky Sports after his team went through 3-2 on aggregate.
“Sanchez darted in behind me. At the time I was bewildered. I feel like I’ve let the lads down,” added Terry, whose missed penalty cost Chelsea the 2008 title against Manchester United in Moscow.
Chelsea will also be without the suspended Branislav Ivanovic in the Munich final while fellow defender Gary Cahill was injured during Tuesday’s match and David Luiz missed the game.
Terry said he was not surprised at Chelsea’s stunning upset.
“This is what this football club deserves. It’s massive.”
Caretaker coach Roberto Di Matteo said: “He’s a fantastic leader of this group. Everybody can make a mistake in life. We’re just happy to go through. We’re all human beings. They’re under huge pressure, these players.”
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Substitute Fernando Torres, who had an impressive record against Barça when at Atletico Madrid, but has repeatedly misfired for the Premier League side, then netted for Chelsea in stoppage time after racing clear and rounding Valdes.
“Football is like that, the favourite, the best team does not always win,” a jubilant Torres told Spanish TV.
“We knew that was the way we had to play against Barça and often it’s not the prettiest spectacle, but those are our weapons,” added the former Liverpool forward.
“We have a great deal of respect for Barça, for us they are the best team in the world and that’s an extra motivation.”
Chelsea’s incredible rearguard action over the two legs is all the more remarkable given they sacked coach Andre Villas-Boas last month and Roberto Di Matteo is in charge only on an interim basis. They lie sixth in the Premier League.
“This year the league has been disappointing, but now we are through to two finals,” said Torres, whose side play Liverpool for the FA Cup on May 5 before heading to the Munich showpiece. “A bad season could still turn into a memorable one.”
