Premier League Champions Chelsea Defend FA Cup Title 14:42, May 16, 2010
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Premier League champions Chelsea defend FA Cup title 14:42, May 16, 2010 Chelsea players celebrate with the trophy after winning the FA Cup final soccer match between Portsmouth and Chelsea at Wembley Stadium in London, Saturday May 15, 2010.(Xinhua/Reuters Photo) Premier League champions Chelsea defeated relegated Portsmouth 1-0 in a dramatic fight at Wembley to defend their FA Cup title on Saturday. The Blues were extremely unlucky in the first half as five of their shots hit the frame. But Didier Drogba curled a wonderful freekick 14 minutes into the second half, enabling Chelsea to achieve their first double in history. This time the post helped them. Frank Lampard was the first Chelsea player to challenge the woodwork in vain as his 14th- minute long shot was held off by the outside of the right post. Then, forward Salomon Kalou wasted Ashley Cole's nice pass in the 27th minute, hitting the bar in very close range. Three minutes later, Chelsea captain John Terry headed against the bar before Drogba's wonderful freekick was pushed by Pompey goalkeeper David James to the bar and down on to the goalline. The frame hadn't been tired of playing tricks on the Blues. With three minutes remaining in the first half, Drogba poked a low shot onto the outside of the left post. The fuming Ivorian striker couldn't stop to clap the frame. After the interval, Chelsea were almost beaten by a stubborn Portsmouth as Aruna Dindane was fouled in the box by Juliano Belletti, but Kevin-Prince Boateng's penalty shot was so weak that Petr Cech managed to sweep it out by his feet. When Drogba was in charge of another freekick in the 59th minute, he wasn't frustrated by the goalmouth. The low strike hit the inside of the post then bounced into the net. Lampard failed to add a goal for missing the penalty shot later, but the 1-0 score was enough for Chelsea to win the final and become the seventh club to achieve domestic double in England. "Source: Xinhua" .