Cheered by the fans of FC Copenhagen, booed by many Chelsea followers, scorer of the goal which kept the Blues in the Cup Winners' Cup and ended his own European campaign - it was a night that Brian Laudrup will surely never forget.

The selection of a player who is due to sign for the opposition within the next fortnight as he is homesick and unhappy in London was always likely to be a controversial decision.

Cynics might have suggested that the ideal, if unfeasible, compromise would have been to have concluded the striker's impending transfer back home at half-time, enabling him to play one half of the second round tie for each side.

With 32 minutes gone and Chelsea needing to score to have any hope of making it into the quarter-finals next March after a 1-1 draw in the home leg, Pierluigi Casiraghi headed a cross from Graeme Le Saux against the crossbar.

Zola congratulates Brain Laudrup after scoring

The ball bounced once and who should be there at the far post but Laudrup to nod it over the line. Chelsea survived a host of close calls as the game went on, with the determined Danes desperately unlucky not to score an equaliser and force extra-time, while the Blues themselves should have hit the target on the breakaway.

French referee Claude Colombo at times completely lost control of a fiercely contested game as tackles flew in from all angles and by the end Gianluca Vialli's side were hanging on by their finger nails.

At least the Chelsea manager's decision to pick Laudrup had been vindicated.

It was hardly a confidence boost to the likes of Tore Andre Flo and Gustavo Poyet on the bench, but Vialli obviously had no doubts about the 29-year-old's professionalism.

From the start Chelsea were immediately on the attack, with Danish keeper Michael Stensgaard saving a shot from Le Saux and a powerful header from Casiraghi in the first six minutes.

But the visitors gradually started to exert some control on the game as they patiently waited for a clear opening and that finally came with Laudrup's goal.

The start to the second-half saw Celestine Babayaro hesitate when presented with a shooting opportunity inside the penalty area and Zola pulled a weak effort wide.

But Copenhagen simply increased the pressure and came agonisingly close to an equaliser.

De Goey, who had saved from both Goldbaek and Thomas Rytter, then combined with Babayaro to deny a frenzied Copenhagen attack before the ball rebounded to Niclas Jensen with the goal at his mercy on the penalty spot.

However, the midfielder blazed the ball wildly over the bar and at the other end, Casiraghi was denied by Stensgaard after he had broken clean through.

Chelsea, by now defending desperately, escaped a penalty appeal when Desailly tangled with substitute Todi Jonsson in the area and Vialli brought on Dan Petrescu for Laudrup, and Flo for Zola to combat the increasing threat.

At the end, Laudrup hurried off the pitch back to the dressing-room. Maybe he did not know whether to commiserate or celebrate after his goal had ensured that his current team were through and his future side were out.

He will certainly have some explaining to do when he arrives in the Copenhagen dressing room in the next week or so.

Teams

FC Copenhagen: Steensgaard, L. Nielsen, Hemmingsen, Goldbaek, Haren, D. Nielsen, P. Nielsen, Thorninger, Michael Nielsen, Jensen, Rytter. Subs: Martin Nielsen, Falch, Jonsson, H. Larsen, Madsen, Pedersen, M. Larsen.