Champions League: Sloppy Blues on the brink of Euro exit
PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN 3 CHELSEA 1
CHELSEA manager Jose Mourinho fears his team will not have the firepower to reach the Champions League semi-finals, after “ridiculous” defending left his team with a mountain to climb in next week’s second leg.
On a night to forget for star striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who proved uncharacteristically ineffective before limping off with a hamstring injury, it was Argentine pair Ezequiel Lavezzi and Javier Pastore who earned Paris Saint-Germain a significant quarter-final first-leg advantage.
Lavezzi proved Chelsea’s tormentor-in-chief, scoring an early opening goal before setting up the second after Eden Hazard had levelled from the penalty spot.
But it was the manner of Pastore’s goal, which further complicates the Blues’ task in next week’s second leg, which enraged Mourinho.
“Not just sloppy, ridiculous,” he said, of the defending for PSG’s third goal.
“We played a great team full of great players, especially attacking players. You could expect them to score fantastic goals, not the goals they did.
“It will be a difficult job now. Not impossible, in football nothing is impossible, but difficult. They can score goals out of nothing, but we are not a team full of talent to score lots of goals at this level, but you never know.”
It took just four minutes for Lavezzi to leave his indelible mark on the tie. Defender John Terry’s attempted headed clearance of Blaise Matuidi’s cross fell to Lavezzi on the edge of the box who let fly with a stunning half-volley.
The Argentina forward went close to a second, but fired into the side-netting under pressure from Gary Cahill. But on 26 minutes Chelsea levelled.
Defender Thiago Silva tripped Oscar inside the penalty area and Hazard stroked in from 12 yards.
The Blues went close to taking a half-time lead, but Hazard’s superbly executed volley across goal came back off the far post.
Shortly after Lavezzi headed inches over the crossbar, his deliciously delivered free-kick hit Blues defender David Luiz and rolled over his own goal-line to restore PSG’s lead.
Chelsea looked content with a narrow defeat, but £37m acquisition Pastore delivered the sucker punch in the 93rd minute.
Pastore picked the ball up on the byline, skipped past a challenge from left-back Cesar Azpilicueta, turned inside substitute Frank Lampard, then squeezed a low drive in at Petr Cech’s near post.
Meanwhile in Spain, Real Madrid beat Borussia Dortmund 3-0 in their quarter-final. Gareth Bale opened the scoring on three minutes, Isco doubled the lead before Cristiano Ronaldo completed the victory.