Inter Milan edges Chelsea 2-1 in Champions League

Inter Milan edges Chelsea 2-1 in Champions League

Chelsea's Salomon Kalou (L) is challenged by Inter Milan's Walter Samuel during their Champions League soccer match at the San Siro stadium in Milan February 24, 2010.

ROME, Feb. 25 -- Argentina midfielder Esteban Cambiasso scored the winning goal Wednesday to give Inter Milan a 2-1 first-leg victory over Chelsea in the round-of-16 match in the Champions League.

Inter forward Diego Milito put his team 1-0 up in the third minute before Salomon Kalou equalized for Chelsea in the 51st.

But Cambiasso hit the winner four minutes later at the San Siro, firing a left-footed strike past goalkeeper Petr Cech after his initial shot had rebounded back to the Argentine midfielder off Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic.

It was Inter coach Jose Mourinho's first competitive game against Chelsea since leaving the English club in 2007.

"The most important thing was the result," Mourinho said. "Obviously it is not the best result or the best situation (to be in). The match is still open but, if you look at all the Champions League games, all the matches have been close. The result was the most positive thing about the game. The important thing for us was to win, not draw. I think everyone was expecting this type of result."

Inter Milan's Thiago Motta (L) fights for the ball with Chelsea's Michael Ballack during their Champions League soccer match at the San Siro stadium in Milan February 24, 2010.

"A great thing for us is that none of our four defenders received a yellow card. Playing against (Didier) Drogba, (Nicolas) Anelka and Kalou, it is difficult not to get a yellow card. We don't have injuries and we have players back, such as (Davide) Santon and (Marco) Materazzi."

The second leg at Stamford Bridge on March 16 promises to be an emotional reunion for Mourinho and the Chelsea fans.

At Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow, a 30-meter drive by Chilean winger Mark Gonzalez salvaged a 1-1 draw for CSKA Moscow against Sevilla.

Sevilla went ahead in the 25th minute when an unmarked Alvaro Negredo tapped the ball into an empty net from a cross by Jesus Navas. But CSKA earned the draw when Gonzalez fired in a left-footed shot in the 66th minute.

Inter Milan's Douglas Maicon (L) and Dejan Stankovic (C) fight for the ball with Chelsea's Florent Malouda during their Champions League soccer match at the San Siro stadium in Milan February 24, 2010.
(Reuters)