Drogba 1 Messi 0: He spent most of the game diving and play-acting... but he picked himself up to become a giant-killer

Roberto Di Matteo hailed Chelsea’s old guard for proving their doubters wrong yet again as they secured an unlikely Champions League win over Barcelona.

Didier Drogba spent a lot of time on the floor but scored the winner as the home side pulled off a classic smash-and-grab victory to take a 1-0 lead into next week’s second leg against the European champions at the Nou Camp.

Di Matteo said: ‘In the past, a lot of the public opinion has been that these boys are over the hill, too old to play two games in a week, and to play at this level.They gave an answer on the pitch tonight.

‘We’re delighted with the team’s performance and the result we got. Tonight was one of the biggest challenges we’ve had for many years.

‘The balance has to be good within the team, not just with the defenders defending. You need to be able to close down the spaces and limit the threat.

‘Ultimately, with the quality of some of their individual players, they will still create problems. It was a collective, defensively-great performance.’

Chelsea will reach their second Champions League final if they avoid defeat in Spain on Tuesday.

Di Matteo said: ‘We’re very pleased with the result so far, but we have to play another game. It’s only half-time. Nothing is decided yet.’

Barca coach Pep Guardiola rates Chelsea as favourites to reach the final. ‘It will not be easy for us,’ he said. ‘It never is when you’re facing a team who are defensive.’

Meanwhile, Blues skipper John Terry paid tribute to Drogba after the Ivorian finished a sublime counter-attack to give his side a vital lead ahead of next week's second leg.

Terry told ITV1: 'We had to be very patient, I don't think we touched the ball for the first 15 minutes but from Didi on his own up front, the midfield and defence, it was a great team performance.'

And Terry continued: 'Didi is all about these big nights, the big occasions. He put fear into the Spurs defence at the weekend and he did that again tonight.

'He was up there on his own against some of best defenders in the world and he did it brilliantly.'

The result helps to avenge Chelsea's controversial defeat to the same opposition at this stage of the competition in 2009, after which Drogba collected a four-match ban - reduced to three on appeal - for his foul-mouthed reaction in front of a television camera.

And the Ivory Coast international told ITV1: 'I think we've learnt. We've improved from three years ago, we didn't concede a goal.

'We are happy because the result is a good one, now we'll go there to try to score another and qualify.'