Par PSG earns a convincing win

Paris Saint Germain took a large step ahead for a berth in the last four of the UEFA Champions League 2013-14 for the first time with a convincing win over Chelsea. The scoreline of 3-1 will give the PSG players a breathing space when they travel to Stamford Bridge next Tuesday despite conceding an important away goal to the Blues.

The match had a great start with both teams trying to stamp their authority early in the match although Chelsea was playing without an outright striker as Samuel Eto’O was injured. Jose Mourinho opted for Andre Schurrle as the ‘false nine’, as he seems to be losing his patience with Fernando Torres. It was the home side who broke the deadlock in the 4^th minute of the match through a brilliant volley from Lavezzi. Chelsea did not have to wait long for an equalizer as Eden Hazard scored from the spot in the 27^th minute. At half-time the teams were locked at 1-1 with Chelsea in an advantageous position with an away goal.

The second half was never short of action as PSG tried to gain the home advantage. They got one in the 67^th minute when David Luiz bundled the ball into his own net from a free-kick floated in by Lavezzi. Then with 20 minutes remaining on the clock Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who was in pursuit of his first European title, left the pitch with a supposed hamstring injury. However Javier Pastore coming in as a substitute to Ibra got the home crowd going in the last minute of the injury time as he beat Peter Cech in the near post after a mazy run to find the third one of the night and a potential decider in the encounter for PSG.

Jose Mourinho was distinctly dissatisfied with his defender’s performance at the press conference. And he has got right reasons to be so. Two of PSG’s three goals resulted from the mistakes committed by his defenders. If Terry was the culprit of failing to clear properly with his header during the first goal, it was the whole defense that could not check Pastore’s run and prevent an important third goal. PSG, however, will make no complaints regarding Ibra’s injury, which makes him a doubtful starter in the second leg in England, as Pastore has given them such a vital third goal. as a result of that, Ibrahimovic’s dream of a European title looks all the more real now.

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About Argha Ghosh

An ardent follower of sports and die-hard Manchester United fan, Argha's ultimate dream is to watch a Manchester derby from the Stretford End at the Old Trafford.