Chelsea held to 1-1 draw by Schalke in CL group-stage opener

Chelsea were unable to win their Champions League group-stage opener against FC Schalke despite midfielder Cesc Fabregas scoring his first goal for Jose Mourinho's side.

The Spaniard, who joined from Barcelona in the summer, swept in the opener in the 11th minute from Eden Hazard's pass, but Schalke's striker Klaas Jan Huntelaar equalised it in the second half of the match to prevent Chelsea from winning their Champions League group-stage opener.

It was a deserved point for the German side, after an impressive defensive display as Chelsea pushed for a winner in the closing stages, The BBC reported.

For Mourinho, the result was a disappointing one, especially after a storming start to the season in which his side won their opening four Premier League games. But the Portuguese boss will be able to take heart from Chelsea's performance in the Champions League last season, when they lost their opening group game to Basel but went on to reach the semifinal.

Mourinho is aiming to become the first manager to win the Champions League with three separate clubs, having won it with Porto in 2004 and Inter Milan in 2010. However, he has not taken a side to the final in the last four years, exiting at the semifinal stage on each occasion.

Didier Drogba, re-signed by Mourinho in the summer two years after he left the club, was handed his first start in the competition for Chelsea since that game, with seven-goal striker Diego Costa taking his place on the bench.

But Drogba looked short of sharpness, most notably dragging a shot wide in the second half after being put through, which would have given Chelsea a two-goal lead.

After Huntelaar equalised Chelsea's lead, Mourinho brought Costa on and fellow new signing Loic Remy for the closing stages in an effort to snatch a winner.

However, despite adding firepower, they could not score a winner and were made to settle for a point, the report added.