Chelsea suffered a 5-2 defeat to PSG in the first leg of the Champions League last 16.
The Blues faced the current Champions League holders for the majority of the match, coming from behind twice to equalize.
But Filip Jorgensen’s goalkeeping bark to concede Vicinha’s goal in the 74th minute sparked a stunning collapse for Liam Rosenior’s side and gave them a mountain to climb in next week’s second leg at Stamford Bridge.
“We didn’t react well to the setback,” the Chelsea manager told TNT Sports. “We are level at 3-2. Then Kvaratschelia makes an unbelievable shot and it happens. At this level, the quality of players on both sides is high.”
“The fifth goal came after a close call. We didn’t lose our heads or keep our cool in that moment. They beat our press and scored the fifth goal. It’s very difficult to come back, but it’s not impossible.”
PSG are under pressure after losing to Monaco on Friday, with some of their players coming under scrutiny for not being at their best this season. One of them was Bradley Barcola, who answered the criticism by scoring the opening goal off the underside of the crossbar.
Despite being indecisive at times, Chelsea deserved an equalizer and broke through just before the half-hour mark. Varkola was seen taking a nap when Matvey Safonov held his hand as a free shot from Maro Gusto swung towards the goal and the ball bounced past Varkola and inside.
Ousmane Dembele celebrates goal against Chelsea
PSG took the lead five minutes before half-time. The hosts attacked Chelsea just before half-time, 14 seconds after Cole Palmer’s header was saved by the goalkeeper. Ousmane Dembele deceived Wesley Fofana at the top of the box and fired a shot past Jorgensen.
A quiet start to the second half soon brought life back to life, with Enzo Fernandes leveling the score for Chelsea once again. Pedro Neto burst down the left before finding his teammate and the Argentine’s confident finish found the back of the goal.
Enzo Fernandes celebrates after scoring Chelsea’s second equaliser.
But Jorgensen made a terrible mistake for PSG’s third goal, undoing all that good work. He tried to pass out from behind, but it was intercepted by Barcola, who found Hviča Kvaratschelia. He fed Vicinha, who tipped it past the stricken goalkeeper.
At this point, it still looked like Chelsea might get a result in the second leg, but two excellent goals from Kvaratschelia ensured that PSG took the lead.
The first was a spectacular hit from long range, and the fifth homered from close range in the final minutes of the game. This happened after another PSG goal was ruled offside, also due to a mistake by Jorgensen, resulting in a let-off for Chelsea.
The match simmered down in the closing stages as Neto shoved the ball boy after he was not given the ball as quickly as he would have liked. Players from both teams were involved in a scuffle that resulted in a red card following a VAR check, but in the end nothing came out.
This result could go some way to help PSG as they look to avenge their 3-0 loss to Chelsea in the Club World Cup final in July. The Parisians will not be playing in Ligue 1 this weekend as they have been given every opportunity to prepare for next Tuesday’s second leg, but Chelsea will play Newcastle in the Premier League on Saturday, which will be broadcast live on Sky Sports.
Sunday, March 15th 4pm
4:30pm kickoff
Rosenior blames Jorgensen for his mistake
Chelsea manager Liam Rosenior told TNT Sports about Filip Jorgensen: “There are risks no matter how you play. You can kick long, you can go straight back to the goal, you can build up. That’s the risk we take. I have a responsibility. I’m responsible for that.”
“It’s a shame, because with these build-up moments we were able to control the game more. Somehow they had 0.8 xG and scored five goals. This is really, really hard to swallow. We don’t have much time to digest. We have to get back on the plane and prepare for the game against Newcastle and then next week against PSG.”
“It’s my responsibility (to deal with confidence). Whenever I make a mistake, I lose confidence, but we have really good players. I don’t blame them for mistakes, but I don’t make the same mistake twice.”
Hviča Kvaratschelia celebrates after scoring PSG’s fifth goal with the last kick of the match
Worst week for PL clubs, with goalkeepers back in the spotlight
Analysis from Sky Sports’ Charlotte Marsh:
Many said “English football is back at the top” after five of the Premier League’s six teams finished in the top eight of the league phase, giving them a direct route to the last 16.
However, that theory was shattered this week as no team won a game. Chelsea and Spurs suffered heavy defeats, as did Man City. Liverpool also lost to Galatasaray and Arsenal had to come back to draw with Leverkusen. Newcastle also suffered a heartbreaking draw in the closing stages against Barcelona.
The good news is that all Newcastle sides have a home game to look forward to next week and they need to take advantage of that. As soccer has taught us many times before, it’s not over until it’s over.
PSG’s Hviča Kvaratscheria scores a stunning goal from mid-range against Chelsea
But another worrying trend is the goalkeeping mistakes, especially by another player who joined from the previous game.
Antonin Kinski’s 17-minute cameo in place of Guglielmo Vicario turned out to be a disaster for Spurs. Will his career ever recover?
And on Wednesday, Filip Jorgensen moved to Chelsea, replacing Robert Sanchez. For two experienced goalkeepers, this was a more obvious and expected change.
However, Jorgensen sometimes looked uncomfortable with the ball at his feet. It was at that moment that Vicinha finally scored PSG’s fifth goal – and it was there that Chelsea’s game fell apart.
The match at the Parc des Princes led to clashes between players in the final stages.
The Premier League remains the best and most exciting league in the world, with five more teams scheduled to compete in next season’s Champions League.
But after this week’s show, there are certainly question marks over their quality and competitiveness in Europe and whether that fifth place is fully justified.
Neto apologizes for pushing ball boy
Chelsea winger Pedro Neto told TNT Sports: “I want to say something about the situation that happened on the pitch with the ball boy. I want to apologize. I have already spoken to him. The moment was heated. We were losing and I wanted to pick up the ball. I pushed him a little and I knew I had hurt him. I am not that kind of person.”
“I’m so sorry. I’m sorry to him… He came to talk to me and he laughed at me because I gave him my shirt. I said sorry about 35 times.”
PSG ball boy pushed by Pedro Neto late in the match (not pictured)
Chelsea manager Liam Rosenior added: “I didn’t see what happened. I heard there was an altercation with the ball boy, which you never want to see. I heard Pedro apologized. I have to look back on it and talk about it in the next few days.”
“In that moment, as a group, it happened. Flip the switch. We didn’t do that and we got punished by a good team.”
The story of the game in terms of statistics…
When is the knockout stage?
Round of 16 Second Leg: March 17th-18th
Quarterfinals: April 7th-8th, 14th-15th
Semi-finals: April 28-29, May 5-6
Final: May 30th (Puskas Arena, Budapest, Hungary)
