This time it was Tore Andre Flo and not Ryan Giggs who kept the tie alive but Chelsea suffered a worrying sense of deja vu as they were forced to endure a similar fate to Manchester United in their European quest.

The Blues were similarly outplayed in the opening 45 minutes of their Cup Winners' Cup semi-final first leg tie as the Spaniards produced an accomplished defensive performance and took the lead mid-way through the first-half.

Striker Dani, a £5million target for the likes of Sheffield Wednesday and Leeds, was their tormentor and it was only the half-time arrival of substitute Flo which kept Chelsea's hopes alive at Stamford Bridge.

The Norwegian made his customary impact from the bench to score his fifth goal of the season as a substitute and while his close-range strike came after just 50 minutes, rather than Giggs' late show at Old Trafford, it was just as vital.

The fact remains, however, that Chelsea - just like United against Juventus in the Champions' Cup - face a mountain to climb in the second leg tie in a fortnight's time as they bid to become the first team to retain the trophy.

The Blues may have recovered from a similar position earlier in the competition after drawing 1-1 at home to Copenhagen to prevail 1-0 in the return leg.

However, Real Mallorca seem a side built for the goalless draw which would ensure their progress to the final in the first ever season in European competition and although Chelsea will travel full of optimism, they simply have to score.

Indeed, the Spaniards are the first top-class opposition which the Blues have faced in Europe this season after enjoying a relative waltz through the earlier rounds against largely unimpressive Scandinavian sides.

Mallorca are currently sixth in their domestic league, which they led until just before Christmas, have beaten Barcelona four times this season and rarely concede even one goal, let alone two.

They started with a 4-4-2 formation, with their midfield in a neat diamond pattern, but flooded players forwards and back whenever they won or lost possession.

Chelsea were met with an imposing defensive barrier every time they ventured into their opponents' half and were far too often lured into shooting tamely from long distance.

In fact, the best opportunities they did manage to create were from set-pieces, with Marcel Desailly narrowly heading wide and Celestine Babayaro mis-hitting his shot into the ground after being left in space 10 yards out by a rare defensive mix-up.

Player-boss Gianluca Vialli, who picked himself instead of Flo, made little impact, Gianfranco Zola showed only touches of skill and there was too little width.

Mallorca, meanwhile, were content to soak up the Chelsea possession, getting bodies behind the ball, but then attacking with style and, on 30 minutes, to devastating effect.

The Chelsea back four were moving out when Veljko Paunovic's through-ball pierced their ranks and Dani instantly spun away from Desailly to capitalise by rounding keeper Ed De Goey and driving his shot into the unguarded net.

It was the classic European counter-attack and a lesson Chelsea should have learned from United, who were hit just five minutes earlier by Antonio Conte's strike for Juventus 24 hours beforehand.

Chelsea did then press forward with renewed determination but it was not until the half-time introduction of Flo for the ineffective to form part of three-strong strikeforce that the Blues finally got back into the game.

Indeed it was just five minutes after Flo's arrival that the Norwegian put the Blues level, driving home a fierce shot into the roof of the net, just like Giggs did against Juventus.

Dan Petrescu had swung over a cross which the diminutive Zola somehow managed to get his head to and defender Elena Marcelino panicked in planting a weak clearance straight at Flo's feet.

The Stamford Bridge crowd were suddenly reinvigorated and so were their team, with Dennis Wise only just failing to control a lobbed through-ball from Jody Morris.

With half an hour to go, Gustavo Poyet was also thrown into the fray despite only a 70th-minute substitute's appearance at Charlton last weekend behind him following a three-month lay-off.

He also had a chance as quickly as Flo but placed his header from a Wise cross just wide and Vialli headed straight at Roa - Argentina's World Cup hero of the penalty shoot-out against England.

Mallorca regrouped though, even causing some anxious moments in the Chelsea back four with sporadic breakaways, and they weathered the storm.

Poyet did flash a shot a yard wide with just two minutes left and loop a shot well over the bar deep in injury-time but for all their pressure, Chelsea simply did not create enough clear-cut chances.

That is something they must remedy in a fortnight's time in Majorca - or face a rare semi-final exit.

Teams

Chelsea: De Goey, Ferrer (Lambourde 80), Desailly, Leboeuf, Le Saux, Petrescu, Wise, Morris, Babayaro (Flo 46), Vialli, Zola (Poyet 60).

Subs Not Used: Duberry, Hitchcock, Di Matteo, Nicholls.

Booked: Desailly.

Goals: Flo 50.

Real Mallorca: Roa, Olaizola, Siviero, Marcelino, M. Soler, Lauren, Engonga, Paunovic, Ibagaza (Carreras 62), Dani,Biagini (F. Soler 85).

Subs Not Used: Galvez, Carlos, Arpon, Alberto, Lopez.

Goals: Dani 31.

Att: 35,524.

Ref: D Jol (Holland).