Paris Saint-Germain produced a stunning late surge to overpower Chelsea 5-2 in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie, but this was no easy night for the defending European champions. Chelsea arrived at the Parc des Princes not to contain, but to compete, and for long stretches of a breathless evening in Paris, they did exactly that.
Chelsea came at PSG with a high line and plenty pushed forward, seeking to play the game in the hosts’ half from the first whistle. It was an audacious approach against the reigning champions, and one that almost paid off immediately, a cross from Reece James found João Pedro, but the Brazilian couldn’t direct it goalwards.
PSG punished Chelsea’s first defensive lapse moments later. Dembélé was given space on the right to cross, João Neves nodded it down for Barcola, who controlled with his chest and thundered it in off the bar in the 10th minute to give the hosts the lead.
Chelsea refused to fold. Fernandez’s clever switch of play found Gusto with virtually the freedom of the PSG box, and the French full-back finished coolly to level in the 28th minute. It was no more than Chelsea deserved.
But PSG struck back almost immediately before half-time. Just 14 seconds after Cole Palmer tested Safonov, Dembélé struck, accelerating beyond Wesley Fofana and finishing with precision, with Désiré Doué as the architect of the move. The half ended 2-1 to the hosts.
Chelsea came out after the break with renewed intensity. Doué was caught in possession by Neto, whose low delivery found Fernández arriving perfectly to guide the ball into the net for 2-2 in the 57th minute. It marked the first time Fernández had recorded both a goal and assist in a Champions League game.
The tie appeared finely balanced, until the pivotal moment of the match. A goalkeeping howler from Filip Jørgensen allowed Vitinha to score in the 74th minute and sparked a spectacular collapse from Liam Rosenior’s side. Jørgensen attempted to play out from the back but misplaced his pass directly to Barcola. Vitinha reacted instantly, lifting the ball over the stranded goalkeeper to put PSG 3-2 up.
From there, substitute Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, on just after the hour mark, took the game by the scruff of the neck. He scored a wonderful curling goal in the 86th minute, before adding a fifth deep into stoppage time to seal a comprehensive first-leg advantage. A brace from Kvaratskhelia perhaps made the scoreline look worse than it should have, as Chelsea were PSG’s equal for large periods in the French capital.
The night was not without further controversy, Chelsea’s Pedro Neto was involved in an altercation with a ball boy late in the game. Manager Liam Rosenior said he had been told Pedro had apologised and that he would need to see it back before speaking further.
Just four teams from 51 have ever qualified for the next round of a Champions League knockout tie when losing the first leg by three or more goals, making Chelsea’s task at Stamford Bridge next week a historic long shot, but not an impossible one. They know they can beat PSG; they did it just last summer in the Club World Cup final.
