As Chelsea prepared for their Champions League quarter-final second leg in April 2014, they knew there was work to be done in order to keep their hopes of reclaiming the trophy they had won for the first time two years earlier alive.
A 3-1 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain at the Parc des Princes had left Jose Mourinho’s tie needing something special, and when Eden Hazard limped off just 18 minutes into the Stamford Bridge second leg, their task was made even harder.
But a memorable European night would follow in west London, one capped when Demba Ba netted a vital 87th-minute goal to seal a place in the last-four.
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Demba Ba on Chesea’s PSG victory
“I didn’t play many Champions League semi-finals throughout my career, and that goal against PSG allowed us to reach one,” the former Blues striker recalls to FourFourTwo.
“We had lost 3-1 in Paris and needed a magical night at Stamford Bridge.”
The equation was simple that evening, as Chelsea knew only a comfortable victory would ensure progression, at a time when the away goals rule was still played in European competitions.
“Andre Schürrle scored the opening goal in the first half after coming on for Eden Hazard, who had been injured,” Ba continues. “It was a setback, but we managed to bounce back.”
Schurrle’s 32nd-minute strike meant that Chelsea needed just one more goal to seal progression, with the hosts continuing to pile on the pressure after the interval amid a rearguard action from Laurent Blanc’s side.
“In the second half, we pushed hard and hit the crossbar twice,” Ba recalls as he watched from the sidelines.
In the 66th minute, he got the nod and came off the bench to replace Frank Lampard in a substitution that would end up paying off for Jose Mourinho.
“I wasn’t a starter, but I came on in the final stretch and took my chance,” he continues. “I scored after pouncing on a loose ball in the six-yard box with a lot of instinct and anticipation – I was willing to die for that ball.
“I remember running to celebrate toward a corner; my teammates swarmed me, and even Jose Mourinho jumped on me.
“It was the most special night I experienced wearing the Chelsea shirt.”
