Goals: Chelsea—Cahill 81’ - Hazard 96’ (penalty); PSG—Luiz 85’ - Silva 114’
Recap: It took 120 minutes, but Paris Saint-Germain were able to advance in the Champions League on Wednesday.
A predictably lackluster first half forced both clubs to enter the break with three combined shots. Only one managed to land on target. In fact, there were more bookings (four) than attempts in the opening 45, one a red card for Paris Saint-Germain. The goals, however, would arrive following halftime.
A right-footed shot from Gary Cahill opened the affair in the 81st minute. Former Chelsea center-back David Luiz equalized just five minutes later, pushing the match to extra time. A composed penalty from Eden Hazard gave Chelsea the lead in the 96th minute, but Thiago Silva would redeem himself. A stonewall header in the final six minutes sent PSG to the quarterfinals on the away goals tiebreaker.
Key Moment: If Zlatan Ibrahimovic never sees a Jose Mourinho again, he will die a satisfied man. In eight matches against clubs managed by the Portuguese, Ibrahimovic has a paltry record of zero goals, zero assists and one red card. That lone sending off came in the 31st minute of Wednesday’s contest. While a 50/50 challenge with Chelsea’s Oscar did look reckless in real time, replays show Ibrahimovic pull back and avoid a two-footed, studs-up challenge. It wasn’t enough to convince the official. Oscar’s exaggerated response didn’t help matters, either. A booking was more than justified for Ibrahimovic, but his marching orders changed the complexity of the match.
Man of the Match: Marco Verratti was influential in midfield. The 22-year-old finished with seven tackles, three take-ons and created a multitude of chances for PSG.
Lesson Learned: The “best league” in the world is on the verge of embarrassing itself in the “best competition” in all of football. Liverpool failed to advance to Round of 16, Chelsea were eliminated on Wednesday and Manchester City and Arsenal are on pace to follow suit. Don’t believe the hype of the Premier League. Coverage doesn’t equal quality.
Up Next: Both clubs return to league play on Mar. 15, with Chelsea hosting Southampton and PSG traveling to Bordeaux.
Note: Credit all statistics to officially licensed data from Opta Sports (via WhoScored).
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