UEFA Youth League Results 2015-16: PSG vs. Chelsea Final Score, Recap, Reaction
Chelsea successfully defended their UEFA Youth League title on Monday, beating Paris Saint-Germain 2-1 in the final of the 2015-16 edition of the tournament.
Fikayo Tomori gave the Blues an early lead, before Jean-Kevin Augustin missed a penalty minutes later. The Blues were the better team for most of the first half but failed to add to their lead, and Yakou Meite pulled Les Parisiens level with a great individual effort early in the second half.
Kasey Palmer restored the lead shortly thereafter, and despite a barrage of great chances in the final minutes, PSG were unable to find another equaliser.
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Chelsea have now won two of the three Youth League tournaments that have been played, with Barcelona taking the first edition in 2014.
Star forward Augustin started for Paris Saint-Germain, while the Blues starting XI boasted the likes of Palmer and Charlie Colkett.
Defending champions Chelsea took the initiative early, pushing PSG back into their own half. Yohan Demoncy had his hands full with Palmer, who always seemed to be around the ball, and the Blues forward nearly found himself through on goal after just five minutes, but the flag had been raised for offside.
Felix Eboa Eboa made a vital clearance to deny Tammy Abraham an open look on goal, as the Blues continued to pile on the pressure, and Palmer drew a fine save from Remy Descamps with his first shot on goal.
An early goal seemed inevitable, and just 10 minutes into the contest, the Blues took the lead. Descamps did well to turn away Jake Clarke-Salter, but the rebound fell straight to Tomori, who easily converted from close range.
Here’s a look at the goal, via ChelseaRelated:
"Video | Tomori pounces on a rebound from Clarke-Salter's saved header and Chelsea are 1-0 up! #CFCU19 #UYL pic.twitter.com/MTVnuqoyCu
— ChelseaRelated (@ChelseaRelated) April 18, 2016"
PSG’s response was almost immediate, and the French side were awarded a penalty just two minutes after going down. Tomori, the goalscorer, tripped up Christopher Nkunku inside the box, and there was no argument from the Chelsea defence when the official pointed at the spot.
Augustin’s effort was far too close to goalkeeper Bradley Collins, however, who dove to his left and easily blocked the spot kick.
Per Goal.com’s Robin Bairner, Augustin hasn’t enjoyed the kind of breakout season many had expected:
Meite, the star performer for PSG in many of their Youth League matchups this season, nearly pulled his team level with a great header that flew just inches wide, as Les Parisiens took control of the match and started mustering chance after chance.
Even Chelsea Youth admitted PSG’s response was exactly as needed:
Chances were few, however, and Chelsea made the smart tactical decision to start pressing high up the pitch. Descamps tried playing the ball short to his defenders whenever possible, but it greatly obstructed PSG’s path up the pitch.
The Blues were denied a stonewall penalty when Jacob Maddox was chopped down inside the box, but the official failed to spot the offence. Simon Johnson of the London Evening Standard didn’t understand the decision:
Antoine Bernede tried his luck with an ambitious effort from long range but missed the target completely, and Meite nearly burst through the Chelsea defence, losing his touch just as he entered a dangerous area.
At half-time, the score was still 1-0, but while Chelsea looked like the better team, the Blues gave Les Parisiens far too much space to work with.
Chelsea's coaches seemed to agree and must have urged their players to seal the deal in the second half, as the Blues came out of the dressing room with renewed intensity. Abraham should have scored just minutes into the half, but he wildly blasted a shot over the bar with the goal at his mercy.
A few half-chances followed, but the goal instead fell on the other side of the pitch, as Meite cut free down the wing before moving inside and firing the ball in the bottom corner. Bairner thought it was a nifty move:
The setback lit a fire under the Chelsea players, and the Blues immediately went looking for another lead. Temitayo Aina missed the target with a free-kick, before Palmer exposed a giant hole in the PSG defence to put his team ahead again.
Mukhtar Ali saw his team-mate sprinting into the open space and played a great ball in, and via ChelseaRelated, Palmer didn't miss the golden opportunity:
"Video | Kasey Palmer scores to put Chelsea back ahead after being played through by Mukhtar Ali. #CFCU19 #UYL pic.twitter.com/AOvKJU4twO
— ChelseaRelated (@ChelseaRelated) April 18, 2016"
Les Parisiens looked visibly frustrated, having worked so hard to find an equaliser, and Chelsea were happy to sit back and look for the counter-attack. The Blues found it surprisingly easy to keep PSG away from their goal, as the French side struggled to put together passing moves in the opposite half.
Things got a little chippy, and a handful of Chelsea players ran into yellow cards, including Aina and Clarke-Salter, as PSG slowly but surely increased the pressure. Clarke-Salter was lucky to stay on the pitch, as his tackle with the studs up on Nanitamo Ikone was particularly nasty, per Goal.com's Jay Jaffa:
Ikone came agonisingly close to tying things up just a few minutes later, just missing the target after a sensational run into the box.
PSG continued to push, and Meite again went close, as his blocked shot slowly trickled past Collins and on the wrong side of the goal post. Nkunku then missed the best chance of the lot, losing his balance just as he was about to pull the trigger.
Les Parisiens' late push didn't amount to anything, as Chelsea comfortably held on to their lead to successfully defend their title.
Post-Match Reaction
Match-winner Palmer took to Twitter to express his pride of the team:
It's a fantastic win for the Chelsea youngsters, and a handful of players will surely take the next step in their career next season. Palmer in particular looks ready to contribute and will likely go on loan, following in the footsteps of the likes of Dominic Solanke, Lewis Baker and others.
Don't sleep on goalkeeper Collins, either. He's just 19 years old but looks like a future great, and a loan move to a Championship club may be just what he needs to take the next step in his development.
