Own goal gifts win

Chelsea leaves Stuttgart with advantage after 1-0 victory

STUTTGART, Germany (AP) -- Fernando Meira's early own goal stunned Stuttgart on Wednesday, giving Chelsea a 1-0 victory and a good chance of reaching the Champions League quarterfinals.

The Portuguese defender tried to clear Glen Johnson's 12th-minute cross to an unmarked Hernan Crespo and instead rifled it inside his own goal past his helpless goalkeeper, Timo Hildebrandt.

After two straight defeats to Arsenal in domestic competitions, Chelsea snatched an important away victory that makes it a heavy favorite to advance to the third round after the return leg in two weeks at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea has now won all of its four Champions League matches away without conceding a goal, while Stuttgart slipped to its first defeat at home, where Felix Magath's team had never lost a European competition in 11 previous matches under his guidance and beat Manchester United in the group stage this fall.

The victory may help save the job of embattled coach, Claudio Ranieri, who was expected to win a title this season after Chelsea's new owner, Russian oil magnate Roman Abramovich, spent millions on new players.

"We were very nervous at the start, we didn't play our game at all," Ranieri said.

After the early goal, the Germans controlled play on a cool evening in front of 42,000 at Gottlieb-Daimlerstadion while the English team settled for a few breakaway attempts by Iceland striker Eidur Gudjohnsen.

According to official statistics, Chelsea didn't have a shot on target all match.

"We fought hard, we gave our best, but we were unlucky," said Stuttgart's Germany forward, Kevin Kuranyi.

But the Bundesliga's youngest team couldn't make much of its overwhelming possession, showing the same inability to finish its chances that had toppled it from the top of the German table, dropping the club to third.

"We lost confidence after that early own goal," Magath said. "We played well but we just didn't have that last spark."

"Chelsea has played less well at home this season so we may still have a chance," he said.

In the 67th minute, 20-year-old Philipp Lahm, who made his debut for Germany last week, slipped between two defenders, went around a third but couldn't squeeze off his point blank attempt past a fourth Chelsea player.

In the 81st, Kuranyi tried with a powerful distance shot but it was no trouble for Chelsea goalkeeper Carlo Cudicini, who fisted it over the crossbar.

Stuttgart failed to turn much of its dominance into threatening attempts, while Chelsea mounted almost no attack.

Before the break, play was sluggish as the English club let Stuttgart attack and the German side needed some time to recover from the shock of the own goal.

The best was from an unmarked Gudjohnsen, who sidefooted Hernan Crespo's cross well over the crossbar midway through the first half.

Just eight minutes after Chelsea forged ahead 1-0, Wayne Bridge was forced to clear Kuranyi's header off the line after the forward leaped to meet a corner.

The game's first attempt came in the fifth minute when Kuranyi chested a downfield pass to Silvio Meissner, who stroked a too careful shot over the crossbar.

It was one of several chances in the early going for the cash-strapped team.

While Abramovich has spent lavishly, Stuttgart has been the surprise of Germany, racing out of nowhere last season after turning to its youth because it had no money to buy new players.

Summary

VfB Stuttgart 0 Chelsea 1 - result

Champions League first knockout round, first leg

Scorer: Fernando Meira 12og

Halftime: 0-1; Attendance: 42,000

Teams:

VfB Stuttgart: 1-Timo Hildebrand; 2-Andreas Hinkel, 5-Marcelo Bordon, 6-Fernando Meira, 21-Philipp Lahm; 20-Zvonimir Soldo, 7-Silvio Meissner (13-Christian Tiffert 46), 16-Horst Heldt (18-Cacau 66), 15-Alexander Gleb; 22-Kevin Kuranyi, 19-Imre Szabics.

Chelsea: 23-Carlo Cudicini; 2-Glen Johnson, 26-John Terry, 13-William Gallas, 18-Wayne Bridge; 30-Jesper Gronkjaer (11-Damien Duff 66), 4-Claude Makelele, 8-Frank Lampard, 14-Geremi; 21-Hernan Crespo (10-Joe Cole 89), 22-Eidur Gudjohnsen (9-Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink 73),

Referee: Kyros Vassaras (Greece)

Both the Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.