Ballack and Kalou give CFR their due

source Chelsea FC's players paid tribute to CFR 1907 Cluj after a tense evening at Stamford Bridge ended with a 2-1 victory for the London club and a place in the knockout rounds for the sixth successive campaign. No pressure The Romanian outsiders – certain of finishing last in Group A whatever the Matchday 6 results – played without pressure or expectation and caused Chelsea problems. For a 16-minute spell in the second half they were holding last season's runners-up at 1-1 after Yssouf Koné's header had cancelled out Salomon Kalou's opener. Michael Ballack said Chelsea's difficulties should have come as no surprise bearing in mind CFR's earlier performances in the competition. "We knew from the first game with them how good they are – not just the result [a 0-0 draw] but their performance as well," said the German midfielder, "but it wasn't just against us, Cluj also showed against Roma and Bordeaux that they can fight and play football." Improvement needed Kalou, scoring in the UEFA Champions League for the first time since last season's first knockout round victory over Olympiacos CFP, added: "It is not easy for us when the other team plays that well. They made things difficult for us and it's up to us to improve and control more of the game."