As we all know, Chelsea FC has been drawn to face Paris Saint Germain in the first round of the UEFA Champions League knockout stage. This is the second year in a row that the Blues will face PSG and hopefully the second time around will not be nearly as dramatic. Last year’s meeting was rife with drama, finger pointing, late goals, and heroics from two unexpected sources.
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The first leg in Paris ended 3-1 with the advantage going to PSG. Ezequiel Lavezzi scored within three minutes of the opening whistle but Eden Hazard equalized just 20 minutes later to give Chelsea FC a vital away goal. Lavezzi was a thorn in Chelsea’s side all match long, just as he had been when he was with Serie A side Napoli. The second half got worse and worse for the Blues as David Luiz scored an own goal off a Lavezzi free kick after 60 minutes and true disaster struck when Javier Pastore scored PSG’s third with the final shot of the game.
The talk after the first leg was that Chelsea’s Champions League run was coming to an end in the quarterfinals once again and there were fingers of blame being pointed everywhere. Andre Schurrle was blamed for being ineffective as a lone striker, Petr Cech was blamed for letting Pastore’s weak shot beat him at the near post, and questions were asked of Chelsea FC’s defense. The Blues would have to win the second leg by two goals and not allow PSG to score any, a tall task for a side that featured Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Lavezzi, and Edinson Cavani.
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The second leg was a test of Chelsea FC’s fortitude early on as Eden Hazard came off less than 15 minutes in to the match and was replaced by Andre Schurrle. Shortly after that, Schurrle scored the opener and the tie was up for the taking. Schurrle smashed another shot off the bar as did Oscar as Chelsea FC huffed and puffed to break down PSG’s defense. With 10 minutes to go, Jose Mourinho went all in and brought on Fernando Torres and Demba Ba to join Samuel Eto’o in search of a goal.
It was Demba Ba that found the breakthrough with one of his trademark finishes where he somehow ends up on the ground. It was enough and Chelsea FC advanced to the semifinal. Stamford Bridge was rocking as they witnessed one of the most dramatic comebacks in Chelsea’s Champions League history. A similar result would be perfect as the Blues prepare to face PSG once again but a bit less drama would be beneficial for all parties involved, especially for the health of the Chelsea supporters.