Ten-man Paris through after stunning Chelsea
Wednesday, March 11, 2015
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Chelsea FC 2-2 Paris Saint-Germain (agg: 3-3, aet, Paris win on away goals)
Down to ten men from the 31st minute, Paris's late headers in regulation and extra time earned a sensational triumph.
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• Paris avenge last season's elimination by Chelsea in sensational second leg
• Thiago Silva makes it 2-2 with a towering 114th-minute header
• Edinson Cavani hits post after Zlatan Ibrahimović's red card on 31 minutes
• David Luiz forces extra time with late header against his former club
• Quarter-final draw in Nyon on 20 March at 12.00CET
Thiago Silva headed in the decisive goal six minutes from the end of extra time as Paris Saint-Germain pulled off a sensational triumph over Chelsea FC despite playing 90 minutes with ten men.
Three times French title holders Paris looked down and out in London. First when Zlatan Ibrahimović was sent off on 31 minutes; then when Gary Cahill lashed in the opener following a corner; and finally when Eden Hazard stroked in an extra-time penalty. They refused to be beaten.
On top before going 1-0 down – Edinson Cavani rattled the post – David Luiz's late header against his former club ensured another 30 fraught minutes. Lightning struck twice as Thiago Silva nodded in to cancel out Hazard's spot kick and take PSG through.
Before Ibrahimović's full-blooded contribution the first half had been full of intrigue, a game of cat and mouse as both sides probed without revealing their full hand – plenty of time for that. The hosts clearly saw Paris's right flank as a potential chink, Diego Costa doubling up with Hazard to expose Marquinhos at full-back; Marco Verratti was forced to drop back in support.
Verratti was evidently more at home at the other end, running through his well-stocked passing armoury as Paris picked at Chelsea's high defensive line. It was all very subtle; Ibrahimović's challenge on Oscar was not. Experience, Laurent Blanc said on the eve of the match, could count against his team: now they would have to do it outnumbered, without a man with 43 UEFA Champions League goals to his name.
Diego Costa has eight, but threatened a ninth just before half-time before going down under Cavani's attempted tackle; the referee waved play on. Chelsea were slowly moving in for the kill, a little too slowly though, lacking urgency even after the introduction of Willian for Oscar. Paris soaked it up and, moments before the hour came their chance – how close they came.
Javier Pastore was the instigator, threading a pass through to Cavani, being played onside by Cahill. The Uruguayan's first touch around Thibaut Courtois was heavy but his second looked sweet enough, only for the ball to kiss the near post and roll a whisker wide of the far upright. Pastore went close himself midway through the second period, drawing a save from Courtois.
Chelsea were rocking, their indecisiveness apparent in their attempts to meet Cesc Fàbregas's corner on 81 minutes. Cahill showed them how it is done, with a goal almost as emphatic as the next one from Luiz's head that prompted extra time. All that effort from the ten men took its toll, however, and when Hazard fired in from the spot after Thiago Silva had handled a high ball, Paris finally seemed to be beaten. Not a chance: the visiting skipper made sure of that.
