Chelsea Cruise Past Zilinia  (Sky Sports)

MSK Zilinia 0 Chelsea 2

Claudio Ranieri's Chelsea had little trouble in all but securing a spot in the Champions League group stage with an easy 2-0 victory over MSK Zilina in Slovakia.

The expensively-assembled Blues side had little trouble in earning the win, courtesy of Eidur Gudjohnsen and a Michail Drahno own goal, while Damien Duff, Juan Sebastian Veron and Glen Johnson all impressed in a thoroughly professional performance.

Chelsea started quite brightly, with Duff causing all sorts of problems down the left in a strange-looking Blues midfield which saw Geremi in the centre and Veron marauding down the right.

But it was an Englishman, Frank Lampard, who had their best early chance in the 10th minute, when he broke the offside trap and fired just wide from 10 yards.

Zilina really did struggle to get into the game in the first half, with Carlo Cudicini a virtual spectator, and John Terry and Marcel Desailly having only the odd free-kick and hopeful through ball to clear.

Of the other new boys, Glen Johnson was a danger on the right, one sublime piece of skill giving him the chance to cross, but his floated ball was plucked out of the air by the home keeper.

Zilina did manage one dangerous break, but Miroslav Barcik's snap-shot went well wide of Cudicini's post.

As the half went on, Duff looked ever more the man to break the deadlock, and he certainly had a big hand in the opening goal on 42 minutes.

Duff and Mikael Forssell linked up well on the right and Duff's low cross was perfect for Gudjohnsen, who had been very quiet until then, to slide home from six yards at the far post.

The second half began very quietly, although it was the hosts who made the best scoring chance when Barcik floated over a cross and Varadin should have done better with a close range header.

Duff was eventually replaced by Joe Cole, and the England midfielder had a part to play in Chelsea's second goal, which came with 15 minutes to play.

Cole found Gudjohnsen on the edge of the box, and luckless sub Drahno, in trying to nick the ball from the Blues striker as he went to pull the trigger, managed only to divert the ball past Trabalik in the Zilina goal.

From then it was all Chelsea, if it hadn't quite been for the preceding 75 minutes, with sub Jesper Gronkjaer wasting a chance to make it three as they played out time.

As the final whistle blew, Claudio Ranieri had a huge smile on his face - a good job done by the new Chelsea - and the second leg at Stamford Bridge in two week's time should be a formality.