Chelsea lost 5-2 to PSG in the first leg of the Champions League round of 16.
The Blues faced the current Champions League holders for most of the match and twice came from behind to draw level.
But Filip Jorgensen’s goalkeeper howler allowed Vitinha to score in the 74th minute and sparked a dramatic collapse from Liam Rosenior’s side, giving them a mountain to climb in next week’s second leg at Stamford Bridge.
PSG were under pressure after Friday’s loss to Monaco and some of their players came under scrutiny for not producing their best performances this season. One of them was Bradley Barcola, who answered his critics by slamming the opener over the underside of the crossbar.
Chelsea deserved an equalizer despite lacking the finishing touch at times and made the breakthrough just before the half hour mark. Barcola was napping as Malo Gusto’s unmarked shot teetered towards goal, with Matvei Safonov getting his hands on the ball and slotting past him.
Ousmane Dembele celebrates after scoring a goal against Chelsea.
PSG took the lead again 5 minutes before the end of the first half. The hosts struck Chelsea on the break just 14 seconds after Cole Palmer saw the goalkeeper’s header over. Ousmane Dembele fired past Jorgensen after deceiving Wesley Fofana at the top of the box.
A quiet start to the second half soon picked up steam as Enzo Fernandez brought Chelsea level again. Pedro Neto swooped down the left flank before finding his team-mate and the Argentine’s confident finish found the back of the net.
But Jorgensen ruined all the good work with PSG’s third terrible mistake. His attempt to pass backwards was blocked by Barcola, who found Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. He fed Vitinya, who chipped away at the broken goalkeeper.
Enzo Fernandes celebrates after scoring Chelsea’s second equalizer.
At that point it still looked likely that Chelsea would get a result in the second leg, but two fantastic strikes from Kvaratskelia gave PSG an unassailable lead.
The first was a stunning hit from distance and the fifth from close range with his final touch of the game. It came after another PSG goal was ruled out for offside, again due to a Jorgensen error, which cost Chelsea the loss.
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It boiled over towards the end of the game when Neto pushed the ball boy after not receiving the ball as quickly as he would have liked. As VAR confirmed the red card, players from both sides engaged in a melee, but in the end, there was no result.
Results will go some way as PSG seek revenge for their 3-0 loss to Chelsea in July’s Club World Cup final. The Parisians will not feature in Ligue 1 this weekend as they will be given every opportunity to prepare for the second leg next Tuesday, while Chelsea face Newcastle live in the Premier League on Saturday. Sky Sports.
More to follow…
The story of the game through statistics…
When is the knockout phase?
Round of 16 2nd leg: March 17-18
quarterfinal: April 7-8, 14-15
semifinal: April 28-29, May 5-6
critical: May 30 (Puskas Arena, Budapest, Hungary)
