Former Chelsea striker Osgood dead

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March 01, 2006 22:52 IST

Former Chelsea striker Peter Osgood has died of a heart attack, aged 59, the club said on Wednesday.

Osgood, who worked behind the scenes at Chelsea until his death, was taken ill while attending a family funeral earlier on Wednesday.

Osgood was a key member of the stylish Chelsea side of the early 1970s, helping them win the FA Cup in 1970 and the European Cup Winners' Cup, beating Real Madrid in the final, the following season.

He played four times for England.

Aged 17, Osgood scored twice on his Chelsea debut in 1964 and quickly developed into a skilled and fearless striker who served the club with distinction for 10 years.

He will probably be best remembered for his diving header in the FA Cup final replay in 1970 against Leeds. Chelsea went on to win the trophy for the first time with a 2-1 success at Old Trafford following a 2-2 Wembley draw.

He scored in every round of the competition.

The following season he scored in the European Cup Winners' Cup final against Real Madrid in Athens, and again in the replay which Chelsea won 2-1.

He also scored in the 1972 League Cup Final, a 2-1 defeat by Stoke.

In all he played 380 games for Chelsea and scored 150 goals. Only Bobby Tambling and Kerry Dixon have scored more for the club.

After leaving Chelsea he helped second division Southampton win the FA Cup in 1976 before joining Philadelphia Fury in the fledgling North American Soccer League.
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