Chelsea's Under 16s qualified for the final of the Cobham Cup this afternoon, after a spirited comeback against Russian side FC Tolyatti.

The 3-1 score line suggests a comfortable victory, but in reality it was a hard-earned win against a strong and physical opposition.

The side, coached by Dermot Drummy, fell behind in the first few minutes after goalkeeper Jemal Blackman had been forced into a smart save at his near post.

The resultant corner was swung to the far post and headed home. Already the signs were there that this would be a bigger test than the Blues had been given in the group stages, won as they were with a maximum nine points from three games.

The youngsters responded well though, and captain Billy Knott (pictured left) curled a free-kick just wide of the post.

At half-time, Aliu 'Kaby' Djalo replaced Anton Rodgers, and could have levelled the scores mid way through the second half, only to see his drive fly over the bar and into the makeshift stand behind the goal.

It wasn't long before Chelsea did level though. The Russian goalkeeper could only parry Rohan Ince's speculative drive, and his defender handled the rebound inside the area.

Penalty to the hosts, and Knott strode confidently up to fire home from the spot, sending the goalkeeper the wrong way, and the Chelsea bench into rapture.

Suddenly there was a sense that the game could be won, and once again it was Knott who made things happen from his position out on the right wing.

He cut inside into the area and squared for Josh McEachran (pictured right) to slide home the finish.

Tolyatti fought back and with a few minutes left the Blues defence was forced to clear the ball off the line as a goalmouth scramble ensued, before passage to the final was sealed by Marco Mitrovic.

The Swede finished off a flowing counter-attack that started with substitute Sadik Kamara, who laid the ball wide for Djalo. The diminutive winger cut inside and squared for Mitrovic to tap home his fourth goal of the tournament so far.

In the final, Chelsea will meet River Plate, who triumphed over the Disney Soccer Showcase All-Stars in the other semi.

The Argentines ran out 2-1 winners after leading 1-0 at half-time, setting up a replay of the tournament's opening game on Saturday.

The omens are good, with Chelsea having won that game 2-1. Log on to chelseafc.com later today to see how the tournament finishes.