Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
After the first match ending 3-1 at the Parc des Princes, Chelsea FC and PSG had something to play for going into the return leg at Stamford Bridge. Pars Saint-Germain would be looking to bang in just one goal, knowing Chelsea FC would then have the daunting task of needed to win by a three goal margin to advance. The Blues came in knowing that a 2-0 result would see them through to the next round.
The major talking point of the opening stages was the substitution of Eden Hazard. The Belgian came up lame in the early stages of the game, and was forced off after just 17 minutes. Many thought he would be the player to spark a comeback, but now he was relegated to watching from the sidelines, having been replaced by Andre Schurrle.
Even with the absence of one of their main men, Chelsea still looked strong in the first half. David Luix tested keeper Salvatore Sirigu from distance, and Frank Lampard nearly curled in a free kick from the left hand side.
It would in fact be Schurrle who grabbed the first goal of the game. Willian was able to flick on a long throw to the awaiting Schurrle, who caught Sirigu wrong footed and placed the ball into the back of the net. On 32 minutes Chelsea had a 1-0 lead, and brought it back to 3-2 on aggregate.
The Blues again threatened near the end of the half, when Gary Cahill couldn’t strike a rebound clearly that fell to him in the box. Instead of pouncing on the opportunity, the ball sailed harmlessly past goal. Chelsea would go into halftime leading 1-0, knowing another goal would put them in prime position to advance to the next round.
Chelsea began the second half on the front foot, but saw an incredible spell of misfortune. After PSG lost the ball near the midfield line, Chelsea capitalized on their numbers advantage, and passed the ball around sharply. Eventually, Willian found Schurrle making a run into the box, but his effort bounced off the crossbar. Then after winning a close range free kick, Oscar’s effort deflected off the post and wide of goal.
The second half continued to be very open, with both teams knowing just a goal would be the difference. PSG saw a chance through Lucas Moura, and had an excellent chance through Edinson Cavani, but he failed to find the back of the net.
After pressing for the final quarter of the game, Chelsea finally found the breakthrough. In the 88th minute, with plenty of numbers forward, substitute Demba Ba was able to latch on to a loose ball in front of the keeper, and lift it over his stretched body and into the back of the net. This put Chelsea up 2-0 on the night, and 3-3 on aggregate with an away goal. If the result stood, the blues advance.
For the final minutes of the match plus stoppage time, Chelsea did all they could to defend their lead. PSG were able to secure two corners, and nearly snatched a victory through Marqinhos’ close range effort.
On what will certainly go down as a memorable night for Chelsea fans, the Blues are through to the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions Lague after a thrilling 2-0 victory over Paris Saint-Germain. They were fortunate to avoid some of the PSG attacks, but ultimately showed the determination to put themselves in position to win, then defend their lead. With some of the recent disappointment, this will surely be a lift to everyone involved with the club.
Man of the Match- Andre Schurrle filled in admirably for Eden Hazard, grabbing the first goal and putting in a good shift.
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