Paris Saint-Germain bounced back from their league defeat to Monaco by taking a commanding lead in their Champions League last 16 tie, beating Chelsea 5-2 in the first leg in Paris on Wednesday night.
Having lost for the fourth time since the turn of the year last Friday, Paris Saint-Germain were still well off the level of form which had propelled them to the treble last spring. Wednesday night’s reception of Chelsea did, however, see both Ousmane Dembélé and João Neves return from injury, allowing Luis Enrique to field virtually a full-strength side for the first time in weeks.
The team that denied PSG a clean sweep of titles last season invariably posed a challenge nine months on as well. An early chance for Pedro Neto to turn in a ball that flashed across goal quickly alerted Les Parisiens to the danger the Blues could create.
It was the reigning champions who struck first, though. Ousmane Dembélé’s cross to the other side of the box was headed into Bradley Barcola’s path by João Neves, leaving the Frenchman to open the scoring with an emphatic finish into the roof of the net.
The Ballon d’Or winner was again involved minutes later, striking the bar with a powerful shot from a tight angle. Chelsea were not discouraged, however, as Pedro Neto sped down the left wing before sending another low ball across goal. This time, Nuno Mendes was on hand to cushion the cross back towards the beaten Safonov.
As the half went on, it became increasingly apparent that the Premier League side’s physically dominant midfield was causing an issue for the hosts and opening space up in the final third. Chelsea would eventually find their equaliser as the half hour-mark approached, with Malo Gusto’s shot sneaking under Safonov’s glove and into the back of the net. The former Lyon man had been found on the right wing with space to spare, with Nuno Mendes straying far out of position.
PSG’s second goal came within seconds of a Safonov reflex save from Cole Palmer. On the counter-attack, Désiré Doué played Ousmane Dembélé through on goal, leaving his fellow French international with an entire half of the pitch to run into. Once the Ballon d’Or winner made it to the edge of the box, he took out both Marc Cucurella and Wesley Fofana with a double feint before finding the bottom corner.
The hosts would start the second half on the front foot, with Désiré Doué notably weaving his way around the Chelsea defence before being denied as he entered the penalty box. The winger would be partly at fault for the second equaliser shortly afterwards, though, as he let Pedro Neto latch onto a loose ball on the wing. The Portuguese international would sprint through again before squaring it to Enzo Fernández for a close-range finish.
Chances were few and far between for Luis Enrique’s men in the second half, as Chelsea cut through the midfield with ease. PSG did manage to find a way through as the match entered its final fifteen minutes, as Bradley Barcola charge down Filip Jörgensen’s clearance to leave the visitors’ defence outnumbered in their own box. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, who had come on for Désiré Doué, found Vitinha, who made up for an otherwise poor performance by lobbing the Danish goalkeeper and giving his team the lead again.
Kvaratskhelia rifled in a fourth late in the game, just after his teammates had weathered a storm of Chelsea attacks which included an offside goal. Liam Rosenior’s men would not find a way back on the night.
Whether Wednesday’s first-leg win marks the start of another all-conquering continental run remains to be seen. While a late flourish provded decisive, the hosts did look physically outmatched for much of th game. PSG, who now have a week to rest, will nevertheless head to Stamford Bridge wth the advntagein the tie.
Matvey Safonov, 6
Achraf Hakimi, 5
Marquinhos, 5
Willian Pacho, 6
Nuno Mendes, 4
Warren Zaïre-Emery, 4
Vitinha, 5
João Neves, 7
Désiré Doué, 5
Ousmane Dembélé, 7
Bradley Barcola, 7
Filip Jörgensen, 2
Malo Gusto, 6
Enzo Fernández, 7
Pedro Neto, 7
