Petr Cech Has a Nightmare in Paris
Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
Not much went right today for Chelsea FC against Paris Saint Germain but most unfortunately for goalkeeper Petr Cech, he picked a terrible day to be off his game. The uncertainty began early on in the match when Cech did not claim the ball that John Terry headed directly to PSG forward Ezequiel Lavezzi for the game’s first goal. Terry was under no pressure and there was no one within five yards of him but his off balance header was poor. Petr Cech should have called for the ball to settle Chelsea’s nerves after an early PSG attack but instead he let the ball stay in play.
The second goal of the night was also due to a bad decision, or a lack of a decision, made by Cech. David Luiz gave up a cheap free kick and ended up with the own goal but it was Cech’s decision not punch clear or claim the ball that left the Chelsea net exposed to the scruffy goal. There have been whispers for years that Petr Cech is not the same commanding presence he once was in the air but today it was all the more present.
The third goal of the match was the worst and it was compounded by the fact that it was scored with the last kick of the match. Javier Pastore received a throw in deep in the Chelsea half and his mazy run past four defenders was bad enough for the Blues. To make it worse was that Pastore’s shot was a slow roller right past Petr Cech at his near post. Any goalkeeper will tell you that you simply can not be beat at your near post. The Chelsea defense did their keeper no favors but Cech should have saved it and kept the scoreline at 2-1.
Cech chose a poor time to have a nightmare performance after the world watched Thibaut Courtois put on a masterclass yesterday against Barcelona with three key saves to preserve a draw for his side. Petr Cech has been Chelsea’s keeper for nearly a decade and he has won a ridiculous amount of trophies but some Chelsea fans are calling for his tenure to come to an end. However he has been fantastic the entire season and his defense left him badly exposed against PSG. Every player has their down moments and their bad games but Cech’s are so few and far in between that he deserves more than the benefit of the doubt.
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