MADRID, Spain -- Chelseas defensive game plan worked perfectly as it held Atletico Madrid to a 0-0 draw in the first leg of their Champions League semifinal on Tuesday. Jose Mourinhos ultra-defensive tactics succeeded at the Vicente Calderon Stadium despite the exit of goalkeeper Petr Cech to injury in the 18th minute. Mark Schwarzer came on, with Cechs long-term replacement -- Thibaut Courtois -- playing in the opposite goal, on loan from Chelsea. Atletico nearly broke through in the final 15 minutes as Raul Garcia and substitute Arda Turan sent headers wide, while Gabi Fernandez and Diego Costa forced Schwarzer into saves. But Chelsea looked too strong at the back, despite also losing captain John Terry to an injury that will sideline him for the remainder of the Premier League season. The result will leave the English side feeling upbeat about its chances of returning to the final, two years after beating Bayern Munich on penalties. Atletico, which is top of the Spanish league and hasnt been this far in Europes top competition since 1974, needs a plan for breaking open a Chelsea defence that will be handicapped by injuries and suspensions in the return leg. "Were not happy with the draw since we wanted to win at all costs. Were left with a bad taste in our mouth even if the series is still open," Gabi said. "We knew they didnt want to concede, but we tried to score through our best attacking football." The second leg is at Stamford Bridge on April 30 with the winner playing either Bayern or Real Madrid in the May 24 final at Lisbon. Chelsea striker Fernando Torres started on his first return to his boyhood club -- but made little impact like much of his sides attack -- as Oscar and Andre Schuerrle were left on the substitutes bench. Eden Hazard and Samuel Etoo were out due to injury. "We had to be safe, dont concede and score in the chances you create," Mourinho said. "If you score a goal in one of those situations the result would be very good. We didnt, but this result means everything will be decided at Stamford Bridge." Mourinhos game plan was not pretty, but certainly proved effective as the Blues stifled Atletico, whose best opportunity of the first half forced Cech out with an injured shoulder as he tipped Kokes wicked in-swinging corner kick over the bar. Schwarzer came on to chants of "Courtois" as Atletico supporters mocked Chelseas decision to loan out the Belgian goalkeeper. Chelsea should have been ahead moments later when Gary Cahill headed Frank Lampards corner kick wide from inside the area, shortly before Ramires broke through -- only for the Chelsea midfielder to fire wide. Schwarzer was busy gathering failed crosses and long balls as the home side attempted to break through without success, while Chelseas defenders did well to contain Diego Costa and block a series of shots, including the Spain strikers 41st-minute volley from inside the area. After Lampard forced Courtois into a save to start the second half, Atletico slowly began to break through the Chelsea wall through efforts from Diego Ribas, who came off for Turan after an hour. Terry picked up an injury after appearing to land awkwardly and made way for Schuerrle in the 73rd, while Atletico players grew frustrated with referee Jonas Eriksson. The Swede gave neither team leeway in a stop-start match featuring many fouls and also handed out a booking to Gabi that will rule the Atletico captain out of the return match. Yellow cards for Lampard and John Obi Mikel means the Chelsea midfield pair will also miss the game at Stamford Bridge. "We will fight, we will fight," said Mourinho, who said he now saw the Blues priority as being Europe rather than the Premier League. "(Branislav) Ivanovic is back, Schwarzer showed we could trust him. If we have to play the kids, we have to play the kids." Raul Garcia, who limped off at the end, headed a pair of chances over the top in the final 10 minutes, when Atletico pressed forward for a winner. Diego Costa was unable to direct his header past Schwarzer, who will now be vital for Chelseas Premier League campaign, as the London club held on for a valuable draw. Custom Baseball Jerseys China .Jeff Green, playing in his second preseason game after missing the first four because of a calf strain, had 18 points. The Celtics (3-3) shot 47.2 per cent from the floor and made 15 of 37 3-point attempts. Custom Arizona Diamondbacks Nike Jerseys . -- Chris Crawford hit a 3-pointer with 1:36 left to put Memphis ahead to stay, and the 21st-ranked Tigers beat seventh-ranked Louisville 72-66 Saturday, sweeping the season series from the Cardinals. https://www.custombaseballnikejerseys.com/?tag=custom-kansas-city-royals-nike-jerseys . CNN and Gazzetta dello Sport reporter Tancredi Palmeri broke the news via Twitter Tuesday afternoon. Italian Football Association President Giancarlo Abete has also resigned, according to Palmeri. Custom Minnesota Twins Nike Jerseys . - The Seattle Seahawks have signed nine players to 2014 future contracts, including quarterback B. Custom Toronto Blue Jays Nike Jerseys . Espanyol midfielder Sanchez intercepted Bilbao goalkeeper Gorka Iraizozs clearance and, having spotted a gap, risked using his less-favoured left foot to fire a beautifully precise long-range shot that bounced in from high up the near post in the 24th minute. LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Kentucky had no illusions of pulling off a miracle against top-ranked Alabama Saturday night. The young Wildcats simply wanted to compete and see what would happen. Their mission never got going and the result was a 48-7 loss to the Crimson Tide that the Wildcats found painful to endure besides the lopsided score. Kentucky quarterback Jalen Whitlow did not return after injuring his left leg while being sacked in the first-quarter. Coach Mark Stoops described it as a "pretty good" ankle sprain. Maxwell Smith came in and threw a 30-yard touchdown pass to Javess Blue in the third quarter, but that just brought the Wildcats within 31-7 and provided the evenings only highlight. Kentucky (1-5, 0-3 Southeastern Conference) was left with a fourth straight loss overall and its fifth in a row to the Crimson Tide (6-0, 3-0). The defeat also closed out the most grueling stretch in school history, a schedule of ranked teams including No. 7 Louisville, No. 19 Florida and No. 13 South Carolina before facing the nations top-ranked team and two-time defending national champions. "We know how good Alabama is, but we can play better," said Stoops, whose team was outgained 668-170. "We didnt play our best tonight, and thats why Im disappointed. When youre playing the No. 1 team in the country, at least give them your best shot." Most frustrating to the Wildcats was not taking advantage of early opportunities provided by the Crimson Tide. T.J. Yeldon and Kenyan Drake fumbled on back-to-back possessions in the first quarter and Alabama receivers dropped passes in Kentucky territory. The two running backs rebounded to run for two touchdowns each and Alabama brushed off those few early mistakes to blow out Kentucky by scoring on its last eight possessions. "We knew they were really driving on us and we had to get off the field," Kentucky linebacker Avery Williamson said. "We got a turnover, but we knew we had to stop them. We just werent feeling things right." Yeldon scored on runs of 24 yards and 3 yards and finished with 124 yards on 16 carries; Drake added 106 yards and a pair of 1-yard TDs on 14 attempts. Altee Tenpenny added a late 7-yard TD run and Cade Foster kicked field goals of 25 and 20 yards..dddddddddddd. AJ McCarron shook off the handful of drops to throw for a career-high 359 yards, including a 20-yard touchdown to Kevin Norwood. Alabamas defence rang up four sacks, though it did allow its first TD in four games. Some things went according to form as the Wildcats found little ground against the SECs second-ranked defence, but others went off script as the initial 15 minutes saw the Crimson Tide commit an uncharacteristic combination of fumbles and dropped passes in Wildcats territory that contributed to their first scoreless opening quarter of the season. Kenny Bells bobble while wide open down the middle killed Alabamas first drive before Drake and Yeldon each fumbled on the next two possessions, the latter was especially costly as the sophomore coughed up the ball inside the 5. It was recovered by Williamson at the 2. Kentucky couldnt take advantage of any of those breaks, but the Wildcats had a more pressing issue in replacing Whitlow after he was hurt while being sacked for a 9-yard loss on their second possession. The sophomore from Prattville, Ala., lay on the ground for several moments before he was helped off the field and carted to the dressing room. Smith came in but Kentucky gained just 62 yards in the first half. "Even though we got a couple of turnovers, we were still behind the eight ball most of the night and chasing it," Stoops said. "It was an uphill climb." Considering how seamlessly Alabama was controlling the ball and the clock before the mistakes, it was just a matter of time before the Crimson Tide took advantage of the Wildcats struggles. Alabama got on the scoreboard on its fourth drive with Fosters 25-yard field goal en route to 24 unanswered second-quarter points as Drake sandwiched 1-yard touchdown runs around Yeldons 24-yard TD run. Alabamas quick spurt included another wide-open drop by Drake late in the quarter, but McCarrons 42-yard pass to Norwood in double coverage to Kentuckys 1 earlier was the play that seemed to shake the Tide out of their doldrums and contribute to 372 first-half yards. Yeldons 3-yard TD run early in the third made it 31-0 and Alabama was in cruise control after its sputtering start. Smith finished 7 of 16 passing for 76 yards for Kentucky. ' ' '