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| Manager of Chelsea's Portuguese Jose Mourinho looks on before the match between Chelsea and Steaua Bucharest at Stamford Bridge |
Jose Mourinho's side had recently fit the bill for the last 16 of Europe's top club rivalry, however they required a triumph in their last assemble installation at Stamford Bridge to assurance in front of the rest of the competition.
Ba's first half objective was sufficient to fulfil that desire and, while Chelsea were somehow from their best, this decently forgettable experience could yet demonstrate a huge venturing stone in the event that they go ahead to have a fruitful European battle.
Mourinho guaranteed on Monday that Chelsea were unrealistic to win the Champions League this season on the grounds that the squad is still a work in advancement in the first season of his second spell at the Bridge.
Anyway that sounded suspiciously like kidology from the Chelsea supervisor in an offer to straightforwardness the weight on his players, who might as well profit from a fundamentally less demanding attract the last 16 now they have completed top of their aggregation.
After Saturday's amaze overcome at Stoke, Mourinho selected to rest Petr Cech as one of seven progressions to the group whipped by Stoke, with Australian goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer at long last making his Champions League make a big appearance, while England left-back Ashley Cole returned after a spell on the sidelines.
Schwarzer turned into the most senior Champions League debutant at 41 years and 66 days, and additionally the second most senior player ever in the Champions League.
Mourinho was unhappy with his strikers' absence of objectives accompanying the Stoke misfortune, yet his feedback started a quick reaction, but against one of the weaker defences Chelsea will confront this season.
Oscar verged on opening with scarcely five minutes played when he ghosted through the Steaua defence and flashed a shot only wide from the edge of the punishment zone.
It took Chelsea only 11 minutes to break down Steaua's weak safety.
Oscar exploited Steaua's messy stamping and rose to head Willian's corner towards the far post, where Ba advanced beyond Bucharest's Daniel Georgievski, clustering the ball into the net from for all intents and purpose hanging in the balance for simply his third objective of the season.
Yet Mourinho had been vexed via Chelsea's imprudent safeguarding after they surrendered six objectives in two matches against Sunderland and Stoke a week ago.
What's more he was given more purpose behind concern when Chelsea's defence separated without hardly lifting a finger minutes after his side took the lead.
Gabriel Iancu surged clear of John Terry and looked chances on to score, just to drag his shot wide with only Schwarzer to overpower.
Branislav Ivanovic just about multiplied Chelsea's lead halfway through the first half, however the Serb's effective header from Eden Hazard's traverse by Ciprian Tatarusanu.
Ba might as well have conveyed the knockout blow promptly in the second half, yet he some way or another figured out how to lift his nearby proximity exertion well over the obstruct from Willian's cross.
Steaua's sum absence of objective risk guaranteed Chelsea seldom required to excessively strive in an incurable second period.
Substitute Andre Schurrle infused some life into the end stages when he jinked into the punishment territory and tried Tatarusanu with a low strike.
Tatarusanu could just push the ball go into the six-yard box, however Hazard was unable to capitalise on the bounce back as the Belgian headed over.
Ba had a strike precluded by a far from being obviously true offside bring in the end minutes, however it was now mission achieved for Chelsea.
On December 11, 2013
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