The recently under-fire goalkeeper was man of the match for the Blues after their battling 0-0 draw against Barcelona in the Nou Camp tonight.
The Champions League semi-final is now finely poised.
The 6ft 5in tall goalkeeper was in sensational form.
After a tentative start where he failed to hold a deep cross, Cech was unbeatable.
He made several first-class saves and marshalled his defence to stop the Catalans from scoring.
Chelsea have to win in the return leg next Wednesday at Stamford Bridge to progress to the final.
Skipper John Terry said: "We played very tight at the back and stopped then cutting inside us.
"We go back to the Bridge ready to go again.
"Didier was unlucky with both his chances but it's important not to concede.The ref let a lot go tonight."
Chelsea are the only side this season to stop the Spanish league leaders from scoring on their home patch.
In terms of the personal battles, Jose Bosingwa did his job against Lionel Messi.
The game did not match the pre-hype free-scoring predictions from both managers - instead the Blues preferred to stay deep, soak up pressure and hope to break on the counter-attack.
Drogba's first-half chances were the Blues' only worthwhile efforts.
The boys were focused and hung in when under pressure and must be favourites to progress to Rome.
But Chelsea have to defeat Barcelona.
A one-nil win for the boys will be enough.But if Barcelona score Chelsea need two - Can they score two?
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