PSG's attacking prowess overwhelmed Chelsea at Parc des Princes. See which Blues stars shone despite the dominant five-goal defeat.
The first taste of the UEFA Champions League round of 16 took place on Wednesday, March 11. Paris Saint-Germain played as hosts at the Parc des Princes against Chelsea. The match, which revived the Club World Cup final, ended with PSG as the winner by a score of five goals to two.
From the opening whistle, the Parisians sought to take advantage of their home status. Plenty of team play and small combinations, but above all, domination of the opponent was what was seen in those first 15 minutes. That period brought the match's first goal. Bradley Barcola finished off a very good move by the French side and made it 1-0.
Then, Ousmane Dembele hit the post, which gave Chelsea a new lease on life. The visitors settled in much better on the field and had much more possession of the ball. In fact, in the 28th minute, Malo Gusto, from a pass by Argentine Enzo Fernandez, equalized the match.
Despite that, five minutes before the end of the first half, PSG's No. 10 put the home side ahead again. The second half featured much greater parity. The English side came out with a different idea and were much more daring in their play.
So much so that, in the 57th minute, Pedro Neto caused problems with his individual talent and laid the ball off for Enzo Fernández to level the score again. Then PSG struck back. With 15 minutes remaining, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia made his customary diagonal run from outside to inside and assisted Vitinha to make it 3-2. And when everyone thought the match would end like that, the Georgian winger had other plans; Kvaratskhelia scored the fourth and fifth goals for PSG and sealed the 5-2 result.
With that, the match ended with a victory for PSG over Chelsea by five goals to two. The team advancing to the Champions League quarterfinals will be decided on Tuesday, March 17, on English soil, at none other than the mythical Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea Player Ratings
F. Jorgensen: 4.7
M. Gusto: 7.5
W. Fofana: 5.6
T. Chalobah: 5.2
M. Cucurella: 5.4
R. James: 6.9
M. Caicedo: 7.0
C. Palmer: 6.2
E. Fernandez: 7.4
P. Neto: 6.3
J. Pedro: 6.1
The ratings were generated by Sofascore's statistical engine.
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