Chelsea continued to disappoint when it lost the first leg of the Europa League Round of 16 against Steaua Bucharest.
The team fell behind in the 34th minute courtesy of a penalty shot Raul Rusescu. The Bucharest player was pulled down by Ryan Bertrand in the box.
"I think it was very soft. To give a penalty in this situation, and especially when you have so many referees in their positions, it is soft," said Chelsea boss Rafa Benitez in an interview with ESPN. "You cannot change the situation but it is very soft. If you give the penalty, why not the [red] card? Strange."
"I was a little bit disappointed because I felt we could have scored and now we have to do everything at Stamford Bridge," Benitez added. "It will be difficult because they are quite organized, they work very hard and they can counterattack. But we have confidence that we will do well at Stamford Bridge."
Chelsea must now win at home next week by at least two goals to pass on to the quarterfinals in the tournament.
The Blues got off to a solid start in the English premier league and were in first place heading into October. Unfortunately a seven game winless streak knocked them out of contention for the trophy. Other failures this season include a group stage elimination in the Champions League as well as a loss at the Carling Cup and Club World Cup. The team has a chance at winning FA Cup when it takes on Manchester United on Sunday.
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