FT Chelsea 2-2 Apoel Nicosia: Late goal denies Chelsea win

Chelsea conceded a late equaliser to end their Champions League group campaign with a draw against Cypriot minnows APOEL.

Michael Essien levelled after a shock sixth-minute opener by Marcin Zewlakow with a thunderbolt but the Blues midfielder then limped off through injury.

Didier Drogba finished a slick move to put Chelsea, who had already qualified for the knockout stages as Group D winners, ahead but with four minutes to go substitute Nenad Mirosavljevic produced a cool equaliser.

Gael Kakuta made his full Chelsea debut in tonight's Champions League clash with APOEL.

Kakuta, the player at the centre of the club's suspended transfer embargo, started behind striker Didier Drogba who was preferred to the benched Nicolas Anelka.

Goalkeeper Petr Cech was rested so Ross Turnbull made his first start between the sticks.

Captain John Terry was given the all-clear to take his place in the centre of defence after struggling with a knee injury but Frank Lampard was included among the substitutes.

Terry flashed a Joe Cole corner narrowly over the crossbar with just two minutes on the clock but Chelsea's defence was reduced to panic stations moments later.

A crafty free-kick by APOEL saw Constantinos Charalambides slip the ball to Joost Broerse who tested Turnbull from close range.

The warning signs were there for Chelsea and in the sixth minute they fell behind.

With the home side dithering down the left wing, Charalambides was able to glide infield before laying on a sweet pass to Marcin Zewlakow who planted the ball past the advancing Turnbull.

Cole appeared to have equalised when he nodded home a cross by Florent Malouda but the linesman's flag went up - a bad call given the England midfielder was clearly onside.

But by the 19th minute Chelsea were level, Michael Essien escaping Chrysostomos Michail and firing a 20-yard thunderbolt that keeper Dionisios Chiotis would have had a better chance of saving had his vision not been blocked by one of his own defenders.

Essien then limped off, pulling up while running, with Lampard coming to replace him.

The Blues' precision passing led to a superb second goal in the 26th minute with Kakuta starting the move.

The 18-year-old found Yuri Zhirkov who marauded down the left before squaring to Drogba who rifled home an emphatic finish.

Cole should have made it 3-1 after being played in through a static APOEL defence but centre back Paulo Jorge got a foot in at the crucial moment.

Lampard skied the ball into the stands as Chelsea continued to press for a third against their outclassed opponents.

Drogba received treatment on his right ankle as the second half got under way with Malouda's dangerous pass across the face of goal posing an early threat to APOEL.

Nuno Morais drew a brilliant save from Turnbull to serve Chelsea with a timely reminder the Cypriots could still cause them problems.

Drogba went close with a free-kick and then took a battering at the other end after clashing heads while trying to clear a corner.

Seemingly headed down a blind ally, Cole then produced a beautifully weighted chip from an acute angle from the right that struck the crossbar.

Cole went close to directing a corner by Malouda into the net but Chiotis was alert to the danger.

The England midfielder, Chelsea's most creative player throughout the match, then opened his box of tricks to lay on a half-chance for Fabio Borini but the substitute pushed his shot wide.

Once again the Blues had the ball in the net, this time through Terry, but the linesman intervened for a second time.

And they were left to rue their failure to score as a defensive blunder by John Mikel Obi enabled APOEL to snatch the equaliser.

Mikel played a lazy pass and substitute Mirosavljevic pounced, running onto the ball before dashing into the area where he calmly slotted his shot beneath Turnbull.