(Getty)
Paris Saint-Germain showed off their skill in the first leg against Chelsea, dominating possession but skating by with a 2-1 win. Much was made over PSG’s Ligue 1 dominance and the level of competition in France compared to England, but PSG quickly put that to bed with beautiful flowing play. Chelsea had their share of chances, but it was PSG who set the tone and applied the most pressure.
PSG opened the scoring in the first half, when Zlatan’s free kick took a tough deflection off Mikel and into goal. The lead didn’t last long, however, as Mikel was in the right spot off a corner to equalize for Chelsea just ten minutes later.
A draw at halftime was a win for Chelsea, and Guus Hiddink’s men continued to outperform expectations into the second half. Costa, Fabregas and Willian all had strong games, but the lack of quality at the back was too much to overcome.
The turning point came 70 minutes in, when Edinson Cavani came on for Lucas Moura. The Brazilian was having a great game, but Cavani was long overdue to see the field. It didn’t take long for the Argentine to make an impact, as Cavani beat the Chelsea line and nutmegged Courtois only minutes later for the winning goal.
The away goal for Chelsea is huge, and they’ll consider this a victory heading into the second leg at Stamford Bridge. For information on the return matchup, click here.
Scroll down for info and video highlights from throughout the match:
FINAL
PSG 2, Chelsea 1
77′
GOAL!
PSG 2, Chelsea 1
It didn’t take Cavani long to make an impact. The substitute made a great run past the back line, fielded a lobbed pass from Di Maria and struck a low shot near post past Courtois at a difficult angle.
70′
PSG 1, Chelsea 1
Changes to both teams. PSG certainly have the more dangerous subs, but if the score holds many will wonder what took Laurent Blanc so long to get Cavani on the field.
64′
PSG 1, Chelsea 1
Chelsea are doing their best to stay alive, staying tight and blocking a blast from Blaise Matuidi. PSG corners are piling up, and Chelsea are once again struggling with possession.
60′
PSG 1, Chelsea 1
50′
PSG 1, Chelsea 1
PSG have started he second half much like the first, pressuring Chelsea and getting shots on goal. The latest attempt was from di Maria, whose long attempt was tipped away by Courtois.
45′
GOAL!
PSG 1, Chelsea 1
Chelsea answer back before halftime! Chelsea bring the pressure after a Willian free kick grants a corner, and a flick by Costa lands to the foot of Mikel.
39′
GOAL!
PSG 1, Chelsea 0
Ibra strikes first as the PSG pressure finally causes Chelsea to break. Zlatan took a low shot on a free kick just outside the box, and the ball ricocheted off the wall into the opposite direction of Courtois.
33′
Paris Saint Germain 0, Chelsea 0
Moura sends a cross right to the head of Zlatan, but he pushes it straight down and it bounces over the goal. Play opening up with almost 10 minutes until halftime.
28′
Paris Saint Germain 0, Chelsea 0
23′
Paris Saint Germain 0, Chelsea 0
Chance for Chelsea! Rahman sends a header into Costa, who looked to have scored if not for an incredible save from Kevin Trapp. The PSG Keeper got just enough to send the ball over the crossbar, and PSG were able to clear the danger.
20′
Paris Saint Germain 0, Chelsea 0
First booking of the night, as Ibra slides into Mikel and is shown a yellow card.
17′
Paris Saint Germain 0, Chelsea 0
Chelsea are struggling to hold possession, and Parc des Princes is rocking. Twitter agrees that Chelsea can only keep playing like this for so long:
9′
Paris Saint Germain 0, Chelsea 0
PSG have looked dominant in the opening minutes, controlling possession and making Courtois work. Chelsea are in trouble early.
0
Paris Saint Germain 0, Chelsea 0′
One hour until kickoff, and lineups are out. It’s a makeshift back line for Chelsea, with American Matt Miazaga making his Champions League debut as a substitute. Click here to see full lineups for both teams.
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