Mark makes a Hughes difference

LONDON, APRIL 17: Veteran striker Mark Hughes needed just six minutes to send Chelsea into the Cup Winners' Cup finals as his goal completed...

LONDON, APRIL 17: Veteran striker Mark Hughes needed just six minutes to send Chelsea into the Cup Winners8217; Cup finals as his goal completed a great comeback by the English side who beat Italy8217;s Vicenza 3-1 for a 3-2 aggregate victory, yesterday.

In the May 13 final in Stockholm, Chelsea will meet VFB Stuttgart of Germany, who beat Lokomotiv Moscow 1-0 in Russia for a 3-1 aggregate win. Hughes, 34, was introduced as a 70th minute substitute with home side Chelsea 2-1 up but facing elimination on the away goals rule. And the man with a history of scoring vital late goals did exactly what was wanted as he flicked on a clearance by goalkeeper Ed de Goey and reacted quickest to thump the ball past Pierluigi Brivio.

It had looked all over for Chelsea when Pasquale Luiso was left totally unmarked to put the Italians ahead. That goal, combined with their first 1-0 leg win, left Chelsea needing to score three times to reach the final of the competition they won in 1971.

Uruguayan Gustavo Poyet got the first ofthem three minutes after Luiso8217;s strike, reacting sharply after Bravio could only parry Gianfranco Zola8217;s shot.

Zola got on the scoresheet himself with a rare header in the 52nd minute after a pinpoint cross by player-manager Gianluca Vielli as Chelsea piled on the pressure.

And then Hughes completed the comeback with a goal typical of the man whose strike won the competition for Manchester United in 1991. Stuttgart, whose only previous final ended in defeat by Napoli in UEFA Cup in 1989, went through courtesy of a clinical strike from German international Fredi Bobic midway through the final half.

The Russians seeking to overturn a 2-1 deficit from the first leg, were caught pushing up in the 25th minute. Gerhard Poschner combined with Jonathan Akpoborie to feed Bobic and the man who punished the Russians with an injury-time winner in the first leg, coolly slotted home again. It was the second disappointment in 48 hours for Moscow after Lokomotiv8217;s groundshare neighbour Spartak lost to Inter Milan inthe UEFA Cup semi-finals. Dynamo Moscow8217;s defeat in the 1972 Cup Winner8217;s Cup is the sole appearance to date by a Russian club in an European final.