Ballack hails Chelsea comeback

LONDON - MICHAEL Ballack has insisted that Chelsea have the character to win the Champions League.

The German captain scored the winner against Porto on Tuesday to confirm his club's place in the quarter-finals.

And the English club's response to going behind to a Ricardo Quaresma goal warned Europe of their resilience.

'The ability to fight back when you are behind is the character that is needed to win the Champions League,' said Ballack, breaking a goal drought of more than three months.

'It was a special moment for us and, psychologically, that is a big stage to get through. At half time in the dressing room, we were 0-1 down and everybody was a bit surprised by that.

'Playing at home, it was a difficult situation, and to come back was very good for the club.'

It could prove especially good for the German, who has come in for stiff criticism this season from fans and pundits alike. He has struggled to adapt to the English game since his free transfer from Bayern Munich.

Mourinho named his as one of his Untouchables earlier in the season, but the title of under-achiever would be a far more accurate description of a player who pockets £130,000 (S$390,000) a week.

Germany's coach Joachim Low said last month that the player, who scored 34 goals in his two previous seasons with Bayern, was wrong to go to Stamford Bridge.

But Chelsea's manager Mourinho said: 'What the crowd thinks, what the press thinks doesn't make me change my mind.

'The goal is good for him because it's a goal that puts Chelsea in the quarter-finals. It's one of these goals that is like a stamp. He did a great effort to play a good game.'

Chelsea's success against Porto could force a Premiership fixture pile-up and damage their chances of retaining the English title.

Reaching the quarter-finals means their game against West Ham next month will have to be re-arranged.

Mourinho is also worried that their showdown with Manchester United, who are nine points in front, will also have to be moved if they beat Tottenham in the FA Cup quarter-finals on Sunday, reported The Daily Mail.

Both the Premiership's crunch game against United and the FA Cup semi-finals have been scheduled for April 14.

Chelsea are also on course to face Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium and Everton at Stamford Bridge in the final weeks of the season.