Soldado penalty gives Valencia 1-1 draw vs Chelsea

Soldado sent goalkeeper Petr Cech the wrong way from the spot in the 87th minute after Chelsea substitute Salomon Kalou was adjudged to have handled a cross in the box in Group E of the Champions League.Frank Lampard had given Chelsea the lead with a first-time shot into the bottom corner from Florent Maloudas cutback in the 56th to cap an intense spell of pressure on Valencias goal following halftime.The ball to me was slow and I wondered whether to have a touch but I chose to hit it first time and luckily it went in the net, Lampard said.Chelsea had opportunities to take the lead before Lampards strike, but Valencia goalkeeper Diego Alves produced breathtaking saves to block Ramires shot and two efforts from Fernando Torres, before also foiling Nicolas Anelka in the 90th minute.It was a pity because I think we looked good to get three points. It was a very good performance from the team, Chelsea coach Andre Villas-Boas said. Before the game if we were offered a 1-1 draw with Valencia maybe we would have been happy. But it leaves us with a feeling we dont like.The draw moved Chelsea to four points from two games in Group E, while Valencia has two points after an opening draw with Belgian club Genk.Bayer Leverkusen had a 2-0 home win against Genk in the groups other match and trails leader Chelsea by a point.Chelsea hosts Genk in the next round of group matches on Oct. 19, while Valencia travels to Bayer Leverkusen.Chelsea had won on both previous visits to the Mestalla Stadium and took the initiative in the opening exchanges.Torres almost broke through in the third minute but took a heavy touch to allow Adil Rami to block his route to goal.Torres came into the match after scoring two goals in his last two Premier League matches but his hopes of extending the run were frustrated by two brilliant saves from Valencias Brazilian goalkeeper Alves just after half time.Alves produced a one-handed save low to his left after Torres met Jose Bosingwas cross in the 51st and deflected a snap volley from the Spanish striker round the post from point-blank range in the 54th.Valencia stepped up the pressure in search of an equalizer, but top scorer Soldado took a heavy first touch to allow Petr Cech to gather on the hour mark and the Chelsea goalkeeper tipped substitute Pablo Piattis effort over the bar soon after.