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29 March 2024

Champions League: 10-man PSG stun Chelsea after extra-time

Published
By Football Correspondent and Agencies

Thiago Silva's extra-time header sent Paris St Germain into the Champions League quarter-finals on away goals after they overcame the sending-off of talisman Zlatan Ibrahimovic to secure a brave 2-2 draw with Chelsea on Wednesday.

PSG, who had striker Ibrahimovic dismissed after 31 minutes, went through after the two sides battled to a 3-3 draw over the two legs of their last-16 tie.

The deciding goal was headed home in the 114th minute by Thiago Silva, who redeemed himself after he had given away the penalty nine minutes earlier that put Chelsea 2-1 ahead by handling a high cross.

Eden Hazard coolly converted that spot kick in the 95th minute which looked like settling a fiery tie that threatened to boil over several times, but also had plenty of good football.

"Our performance was not good enough," Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho told Sky Sports.

"The opponent was stronger than us, they coped better with the pressure of the games. Because they had 10 men we felt more the pressure of winning and they had nothing to lose.

"We couldn't cope with that, we concede two goals in two set pieces, that is difficult to accept."

The pendulum seemed to swing Chelsea's way when Ibrahimovic saw red for a clumsy challenge on Chelsea midfielder Oscar, but the visitors never gave up the fight against the side that knocked them out at the quarter-final stage last year.

They came storming back after Gary Cahill gave Chelsea the lead when he lashed home after 81 minutes and their never-say-die attitude was rewarded with four minutes of normal time to go.

Former Chelsea defender David Luiz scored with a powerful header from a corner that flew in off the underside of the bar to make it 1-1 on the night and force extra time.

The French side should have taken the lead after 58 minutes when Edinson Cavani rounded goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, but he hit the inside of the near post.

Despite an electrifying start to the match that included an attempt from Cavani after two minutes, and end-to-end play, neither team actually had an effort on target in the first half.

Yet the football both were producing was ruggedly entertaining with Chelsea's Hazard creating opportunities for his front men which they could not capitalise on.

PSG dominated possession but Chelsea were never seriously troubled and Ibrahimovic had a forgettable 30 minutes before departing.

Costa was unlucky not to win a first-half penalty after a mazy run through the Chelsea defence ended when he appeared to be tripped by Cavani.

But it was PSG's fans who celebrated a famous success as Chelsea lost to a French side for the first time in the Champions League.

FULL-TIME

Chelsea 2 (Cahill 80" Hazard 96") PSG 2 (Luiz 86" Silva 114")

Extra-Time (second-half)

Chelsea 2 (Cahill 80" Hazard 96") PSG 2 (Luiz 86" Silva 114")

In a dramatic turnaround Paris Saint Germain, playing with 10 men after their star striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic was red-carded in the 31st minute, pulled off a surprise victory over Chelsea to book their place in the quarter-finals of the Champions League.

It was sweet revenge for the French Club who lost to the Blues in last season's quarter-finals. The match was decided in extra-time after both teams were locked 1-1 after 90 minutes.

Gary Cahill put the Blues ahead in the 80th minute only for David Luiz to equalise six minutes later.

In extra-time Eden Hazard scored from the dreaded spot but just as Stamford Bridge was preparing for a long night of celebrations came Thago Silva's equaliser which took the French Club through to the last eight on away goals after the first leg ended 1-1.

Earlier, Ibrahimovic was sent off for an early shower after his tackle on Oscar, which looked unintended, got him a red card.

 

114" GOAL! Silva gets this one past Courtois.

112" What an incredible save from Courtois to deny Silva from a sure shot goal.

111" Pastore does well to feed Cavani on the right. He has ample time but shoots into a defender.

108" Costa is off target with his left footer from top of the box.

Extra-time (first-half)

Chelsea 2 (Cahill 80" Hazard 96") PSG 1 (Luiz 86")

100" Luiz tries to find the top corner of the net with crisp free-kick but Coutois is brilliant as he tips it over.  

Chelsea 2 (Cahill 80" Hazard 96") PSG 1 (Luiz 86")

96" GOAL! Hazard scores from the penalty after Thiago Silva unintentionally handles the ball.

90" Drogba in for Ramires. The Ivory Coast striker is celebrating his 37th birthday.

Full-time

Chelsea ruined a good chance of going through to the quarter-finals in normal time after they let PSG's David Luiz score the equaliser after Gary Cahill had given them the lead.

Chelsea were riding high with 10 minutes to go for the final whistle after Cahill put them ahead from a corner. But PSG bounced back also from a corner thanks to David Luiz's cannon of a header.

Chelsea 1 (Cahill 80") PSG 1 (Luiz 86")

90" Three minutes added.

Chelsea 1 (Cahill 80") PSG 1 (Luiz 86")

86" GOAL! David Luiz sends a thudding header from a corner kick past Courtois to silence his former club.

82" Kurt Zouma replaces Nemanja Matic.

80" Ezequiel Lavezzi comes in for Verratti and makes his presence almost immediately forcing Coutois to make a diving save.

Chelsea 1 (Cahill 80") PSG 0

80" GOAL! Cahill strikes from a corner kick after Sirigu had done well to punch away a Ramires blinder.

72" YELLOW! Costa brings down Thiago Silva and is booked. David Luiz gets involved and he too is shown the card. Too much of jostling going onbetween the players.

69" Courtois makes a good save to thwart Pastore.

65" The Blues are under immense pressure with Cavani, Matuidi, Pastore and Maxwell trying to get that away goal which will see them through to the quarters.

62" Chelsea are losing the plot here. Most of their players are back-tracking which could prove costly.

57" Breakaway move from PSG and Verratti finds Pastore who in turn finds Cavani on the left and the Chelsea defence is all at sea with Courtois charging out. Cavani beats him but from an angle finds the crossbar in the way. Golden chance gone abegging.

53" Maxwell earns a corner after a darting run.

51" YELLOW! Ramires is booked for a tackle on Motta.

48" Willian's free-kick almost catches Sirigu off guard as he was anticipating a cross but the ball was heading goalwards. The goalkeeper makes a diving save.

46" Costa's shot from the top of the box is blocked.

Chelsea make a substitution in the second half with Willian coming in for Oscar.

Half-time

PSG's hopes of reaching the quarter-finals of the Champions League received a jolt when their star striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic was red-carded by referee Bjorn Kuipers in the 31st minute.

The strapping Swede went for a sliding tackle against Oscar and in the bargain caught his foot instead of the ball. With the Chelsea players surrounding the referee he wasted no time in pulling out the red card.

The first half otherwise just meandered to a stalemate with both teams playing cautiously.

Chelsea 0 PSG 0

42" Costa has gone down in the box after dribbling three players and is demanding a penalty. Cavani is the culprit but referee looks elsewhere leaving Costa to bite the grass in frustration.

38" Maxwell long ball and Terry lunges to head it for a corner in front of a dangerous lurking Cavani.

35" YELLOW! Oscar is booked for time-wasting. The match is going out of hand.

31" YELLOW! Thiago Motta gets a yellow now as both teams still scuffle in the middle despite Ibra heading to the tunnel. 

31" RED CARD! Ibrahimovic is red carded for a reckless tackle on Oscar. Both players had gone for the ball but Oscar got to it first while Ibra caught his leg. Referee Bjorn Kuipers seems to have been influenced by the Chelsea players and crowd pressure as he flashed the red. 

28" Both the goalkeepers are yet to be tested. Chelsea seem content on playing second fiddle as it is PSG who have to find a way out to score.

25" Good counter-attacking play from both teams raising the tempo of the game. The crowd is however chanting for more action.

21" PSG are doing well to come to the top of the Chelsea box but they are indulging too much in short passes and end up giving the ball away.

18" Cahill concedes a corner and almost remonstrates himself as there was no PSG player in sight. Luckily Courtois makes a good collection off the corner kick.

15" Cahill again stands like a rock clearing a ball just before Ibra could reaceive a Maxwell cross.

13" Good defending by Cahill after PSG threatened to break through the defence.

9" David Luiz has gone down now. It looks more play acting from the Brazilian as the match is meandering into midfield action.

5" Diego Costa is caught in the ribs and requires attention. He limps back into action but Mourinho will be worried.

1" PSG waste little time in settling down and a combined move between Ibrahimovic, Verratti and Cavani had the latter come close to scoring but for Terry who stuck his boot out in the nick of time to deflect it for a corner which proved futile.

Kick-off in a few minutes as both teams are out in the middle for the anthem.

We are now just 10 minutes away from kick-off at Stamford Bridge where the PSG players will wear black armbands for tonight's game in memory of eight French nationals, including three sportsmen and women, who died in a helicopter crash in Argentina on Monday.

Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho: "1-1 away from home, if you are playing a team who is clearly inferior to your team is a great result and you are in control.

"1-1 away with a team who has power, has experience, has ambition, has pressure to succeed, it is a very dangerous result. Both teams are at the limit, this is the last-16 match with the two best teams against each other.

"A big team will be out in a couple of hours and we know that it is a big game in front of us.

"It will be 90 minutes against a team with fantastic players in attack but to go and defend and wait for things to happen is not the right approach.

"Even scoring before them everything will still be open because the result is so tight but we will start in a strong way."

Chelsea name their team nice and early - only one change from the side which beat West Ham, and it's expected. Nemanja Matic is in for Kurt Zouma in midfield.

Two changes for the French champions from the reverse fixture in Paris. Italian midfielder Thiago Motta, who missed the first leg with a calf injury, and Argentina winger Javier Pastore replace Netherlands right-back Gregory van der Wiel and another Argentine Ezequiel Lavezzi. Ex-Blues star David Luiz is expected to start at centre-half.

STARTING XI

Chelsea XI: Courtois, Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry, Azpilicueta, Fabregas, Matic, Ramires, Oscar, Hazard, Diego Costa. Subs: Cech, Luis, Zouma, Drogba, Remy, Willian, Cuadrado.

PSG XI: Sirigu, Thiago Silva, Marquinhos, Thiago Motta, Cavani, Ibrahimovic, Matuidi, Maxwell, Verratti, Pastore, David Luiz. Subs: Douchez, Camara, Bahebeck, Digne, Lavezzi, van der Wiel, Rabiot.

STAT ATTACK

Chelsea

Beat Tottenham 2-0 to lift the FA Cup

Are five points clear in the Premier League

Have seen under 2.5 goals in their last 3 home matches against PSG in all competitions.

Are undefeated in their last 7 matches in the Champions League (including qualifiers).

PSG

Have gone 14 matches without defeat in all competitions

Trail PSG by a point in Ligue 1

Zlatan Ibrahimovic has scored three goals in last four games

PROBABLE FORMATION

Chelsea: 4-2-3-1

PSG: 4-3-3

Chelsea buzzing ahead of PSG return

Chelsea are brimming with confidence and, fortified by a seven-day break, go into Wednesday's Champions League last-16 return match as favourites to knock Paris St Germain out for the second season in a row.

Defender Gary Cahill says "there's a great buzz" around Stamford Bridge after the Londoners followed their 2-0 League Cup final victory over Tottenham Hotspur on March 1 by winning 1-0 at West Ham United in the Premier League three days later.

Treble-chasing Chelsea, who are five points clear at the top of the Premier League, have not played since their Upton Park triumph and, according to Cahill, the Wembley win over Spurs has lifted the squad's self-belief to new heights.

"The Cup final was huge in terms of the atmosphere around the club and the dressing room," he told the club website (www.chelseafc.com).

"We were desperate as a squad to win that game. It's the first time this group, a newish group formed at the start of last season and before this season, has reached the end of a competition together.

"We came through it really well and hopefully we can take the positive experiences from that and try and build momentum for many more cup finals," added Cahill.

"We are very proud of winning our first trophy as a group together and getting that win at West Ham. But they are gone, all that is on our minds now is the PSG game."

Zlatan Ibrahimovic was missing through injury when PSG were beaten on away goals by Chelsea in last season's quarter-finals but the French club's talismanic striker is fit this time round.

Last month's first leg in Paris ended in a 1-1 draw and visiting coach Laurent Blanc wants his attack to be more ruthless than they were during Saturday's 4-1 victory over struggling RC Lens in Ligue 1.

"When you play a game like the one against Lens you must be efficient," said Blanc who criticised Argentine forward Ezequiel Lavezzi for wasting an opportunity in front of an open goal.

"If he misses the same chance at Stamford Bridge I won't be the only one who is not happy."

PSG will be without injured forward Lucas but fellow Brazilian David Luiz returns to Chelsea for the first time since moving to Paris in the close season.