CL: Chelsea frustrated as Huntelaar helps Schalke draw

London Chelsea made a spluttering start to their Champions League campaign as KlaasJan Huntelaars secondhalf equaliser earned Schalke a surprise 11 draw at Stamford Bridge on WednesdaySchalkes Dutch striker KlaasJan Huntelaar 2nd L celebrates scoring his goal during the UEFA Champions League group G football match between Chelsea and Schalke 04 at Stamford Bridge in London PicAFPJose Mourinhos side had been in dominant mood in the early weeks of the season and they looked well in control of their Group G opener after an early strike from Spain midfielder Cesc FabregasBut Fabregass first goal for Chelsea since his Acircpound27 million 44 million preseason move from Barcelona was the prelude to a frustrating evening for the Blues who wasted a string of chances to finish off Schalke and were made to pay when Huntelaar fired home to give the Germans the point their perseverance deservedThe Premier League leaders will still expect to qualify from a group also including Sporting Lisbon and Maribor but this was hardly the kind of ruthless performance required to go one step further than last seasons semifinal appearanceIm frustrated because we had very good chances to make it 20 and after the 11 we had a fantastic reaction and had more chances to win the game Mourinho said Schalke fought hard and congratulations to them Its a good point for them and a point for us but not a fantastic pointSchalke manager Jens Keller by contrast was ecstatic with his sides performance Im very proud of what we did against such a top team Our plan went perfectly Its possible they underestimated us but my team produced a really good tactical performanceFuelled by the predatory finishing of Spain striker Diego Costa who has scored seven times in four matches since arriving from Atletico Madrid Mourinhos men had reeled off four successive victories But despite Costas impressive form Mourinho opted to rest the Brazilborn star and handed Didier Drogba his first start since his return to the BridgeChelsea defeated Schalke both home and away in the Champions League group stage last season and it wasnt long before Kellers men were in trouble again as the Blues took the lead in controversial fashion in the 11th minute Stretching to win possession Fabregas lunged in on Max Meyer missing the ball and leaving the Schalke midfielder writhing in agonyWith furious Schalke players appealing for the foul Croatian referee Ivan Bebek instead waved play on and Fabregas sprinted to receive a clever backflicked pass from Eden Hazard in the area before guiding a cool finish past Ralf Faehrmann Made to pay Fabregas should have doubled Chelseas lead before halftime when he lofted a pass to Branislav Ivanovic and surged onto the return ball only to miscue his leftfooted shot over the barSchalke gradually came into the match and Ghana midfielder KevinPrince Boateng lashed in a fierce longrange effort that brought a fine save from Thibaut Courtois The visitors came even closer to equalising on the stroke of halftime when Julian Draxlers impressive acceleration took him past Ivanovic and Gary Cahill and into the area where he drilled a low shot just past the far post with only Courtois to beatIvanovic was denied by Faehrmann from an acute angle as the hosts pressed for the killer second goal after the interval There was more frustration for Chelsea when Drogba muscled his way into a dangerous position from Hazards pass but then clipped his shot wide And Schalke made Mourinhos side pay for their profligacy in the 62nd minuteIn a reversal of Chelseas goal Fabregas was dispossessed after a possible foul from Huntelaar whose pass released Draxler to launch a rapid counterattack that ended with Dutch striker Huntelaar planting a clinical low strike past Courtois to stun the Bridge into silence Mourinho called for the cavalry sending on Costa and Loic Remy for the final 18 minutesRemy went close to bagging the winner but the France strikers shot was headed off the line by Roman Neustaedter That set the stage for a tense finale as Chelsea poured forward but Hazard shot over and then saw his poked effort blocked by Faehrmann