Chelsea vs. PSG: Score, Reaction from 2016 Champions League Round of 16, Leg 2
The evergreen Zlatan Ibrahimovic broke Chelsea hearts on Wednesday evening, as his second-half goal helped Paris Saint-Germain to a 2-1 win at Stamford Bridge, propelling the French giants into the Champions League quarter-finals by a 4-2 aggregate scoreline.
Adrien Rabiot silenced the Blues fans early after adding the finishing touches to a fine move before Diego Costa hauled Chelsea back into contention before the interval. But the mercurial Swede was on hand to bag a vital second away goal after half-time, effectively ending the contest.
Manager Laurent Blanc’s men brought a one-goal advantage into this clash, having won the first leg 2-1 at the Parc des Princes.
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In a major blow to the visitors, midfield metronome Marco Verratti was not in the starting XI, although it didn’t dampen the mood of the travelling supporters tucked away in the corner of Stamford Bridge, via Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Johnson:
Very early on PSG seemed a little nervy without the Italian’s influence, with his replacement, Adrien Rabiot, giving the ball away in his own third and allowing Costa to test Kevin Trapp with a fierce shot from the edge of the box.
The Parisians responded with gumption, though, with the youngster settling down amid a frantic midfield battle. Then, in the 16th minute, the 20-year-old made a decisive impact.
Blanc’s side cut the Blues open too. Zlatan Ibrahimovic was the architect, darting down the right and threading a superb ball across the six-yard box; Rabiot, bursting into the area from midfield, was there to convert, giving PSG a vital away goal.
It could have been a critical moment in the tie, with the Bridge temporarily silenced. But there were signs that the visitors weren’t completely comfortable when Chelsea moved the ball quickly, and as it transpired, a slick passing sequence in the 27th minute paved a way back into the match for manager Guus Hiddink's players.
After a swift exchange between the lively duo of Pedro and Willian, Costa picked the ball up running away from goal. Then the burly striker showed plenty of brains, twisting inside his marker and feathering a left-footed shot past Trapp to make it 1-1.
Here’s a look at the equaliser, which sent the home fans into raptures, via BT Sport Football:
It was a goal that seemed inevitable for the striker, especially after the PSG Twitter feed branded him a "fraud" pre-match, per Bleacher Report’s Andrew Gibney:
Following this anarchic opening half-hour in which these two goals put the tie in a precarious position, the match did settle down as the break approached.
Chelsea were squeezing the game, seeking to win the ball high up. When they did steal it, they created chances, but when PSG played through the press, there was space to exploit. At the interval, Liam Twomey of ESPN FC summed up an intriguing 45 minutes of football:
From the restart, Chelsea resembled a side who needed to score to keep their Champions League campaign alive, as they continued to suffocate the Ligue 1 giants in possession. Both Costa and Cesar Azpilicueta had stinging efforts at goal blocked before the 50th minute.
The former in particular was causing Thiago Silva and David Luiz plenty of problems with his physicality. So it was a significant setback when he limped off injured before the hour mark, replaced by Bertrand Traore.
As we can see courtesy of the Press Association's Rob Harris, the forward didn't look particularly pleased as he trod off:
And just moments after the Blues lost their talismanic forward, PSG's own version rose to prominence with a crucial intervention in the 67th minute.
Angel Di Maria got lucky with a loose pass into central midfield, although he was eventually played into space down the left. From there the loping Argentina international showed his class with a fizzed cross, which fell perfectly into the path of Ibrahimovic to finish.
Despite being in the twilight of his career, the 34-year-old has been in tremendous goalscoring form this season, as BreatheSport noted in the wake of his crucial strike:
"Zlatan Ibrahimovic has scored 42 goals in 48 games for club & country this season... pic.twitter.com/Bbm70LpRis
— BreatheSport (@BreatheSport) March 9, 2016"
While Rabiot's goal had hushed the Bridge temporarily, Ibrahimovic's second—which meant Chelsea needed three goals without reply to qualify—sapped all the life out of the stadium.
Things got worse for Hiddink too, with Eden Hazard also hobbling off looking uncomfortable in the latter stages. And as PSG coasted through the final stages of the match, that knock—and the one to Costa—will have been one of the biggest concerns for the manager, with an FA Cup quarter-final with Everton to come on Saturday.
With the Ligue 1 title effectively secured, it was vital for PSG that they continued their progression in this competition. And while things did look ropey on the night for Blanc’s men, they kept their composure at critical times in the tie and, you would have to say, were worthy winners over the course of the two legs.
Ibrahimovic has long been the butt of jokes from English supporters after some underwhelming showings against Premier League sides in the past, yet he certainly had the last laugh here with a man-of-the-match display.
The Swede stated to reporters ahead of the game that despite his advancing years, he feels that he's "only warming up," and on this evidence, you'd be hard-pressed to disagree.
Post-Match Reaction
Hiddink claimed after the match that the Blues did well overall considering the visitors had a much superior squad, per BBC Sport's Tom Rostance:
"We gave too much respect in the first 10 minutes, they were dominating. They are a good side but once we stepped up we had some chances. In the 67th minute it all changed. We had a good chance to score, then Diego Costa was injured. We knew he was not totally fit but he desperately wanted to play and scored a beautiful goal.
You saw the difference between the squads when we had to bring young guys on and they have Edinson Cavani to come in. I must say that we had young Kenedy at left-back and he was excellent.
It is a difficult season. We we re almost panicking about relegation when I came in but it is difficult to get into fourth place
"
Ibrahimovic insisted that the team executed their blueprint perfectly, although he was quick to state there is more to come from this side.
"Overall we played the way we wanted to," said the forward, per Rostance. "It was not easy, you have to watch out. Chelsea's front four are able to do anything. We are doing good things, where we end up we don't know. We are not satisfied yet."
PSG defender and former Chelsea man David Luiz revealed he was impressed with the collective display of his team-mates.
"It was a difficult game for us, but we never change our philosophy. We try to play with the ball and create gaps to score," he said per Rostance. "It was a collective victory. Everyone knows how hard it is to play here. We kept calm and we scored at key moments."
