It was a bit like watching the school bully in the playground.

Maccabi backed off and backed off until the bully hit them. Not once, but four times. And there were more than a few near misses too. In the end Chelsea were toying with them. And they didn’t need to break sweat.

After 11 years in the wilderness of Europe’s elite, this was embarrassingly easy for Chelsea. Men against boys.

I was genuinely surprised to see Tal Ben Haim (the defender), set the tone. For a seasoned international who knows all about the cut and thrust of the Premier League, he gave away a couple of cheap early fouls, and that set the pattern for his teammates. It was like watching a rabbit in headlights.

More than 3,000 fans filled the Maccabi end. They sang their hearts out and deserved better. On this performance they will do well to pick up a point. Dynamo Kiev and Porto certainly won’t be shaking in their boots.