By David Lee Wheatley
Relentless pre-match
talk surrounding the danger posed by Paris Saint-Germain superstar Zlatan Ibrahimovic
characterised the build-up to the Champions’ League quarter-final tie with
Chelsea, yet it was an inspired performance by less-heralded fellow forward
Ezequiel Lavezzi – aided by some extremely poor Chelsea defending it must be
said - that eventually led to the Blues’ downfall in the French capital last
night.
The home side
took the game to their illustrious opponents from the off and duly grabbed a
fourth-minute lead through an exquisite finish by Lavezzi. He chested down a
poor headed clearance from John Terry which then fell slightly behind him, but somehow
managed to lift off his right foot in a backward motion shortly before striking
the ball unerringly with his left in one fell swoop. It was a sublime goal from
a man who has endured a torrent of criticism from certain quarters since joining
the PSG revolution in 2012. However, it was his time to shine yesterday with an
energetic showing which forced more feted team-mates into the shade.
Chelsea were
struggling to impose themselves on the game until they were gifted a penalty on
26 minutes by the usually reliable centre-back Thiago Silva. Hazard scored with
ease and brought the visitors back into the reckoning for the remainder of the
half, with the Parisians losing focus and concentration on several occasions.
Half-time
allowed the hosts an opportunity to regroup and they set about taking Chelsea
apart on the resumption of the action in the second half. It was a dominant
display which showed true mettle and resolve from a side whose collective heart
for the fight had been questioned in the run-up to the quarter-final clash.
Could the silky-skilled artisans who have led PSG to the top of Ligue 1 largely
unopposed cope with the rugged, physical, counter-attacking approach of their experienced
rivals? The answer was an emphatic ‘yes’ when it mattered most out there on the
Parc des Princes turf in front of their adoring fans.
Jose Mourinho
gambled by selecting Andre Schurrle as a lone striker ahead of more recognised
protagonists of the role, even though he is a winger by trade, and placing
David Luiz in a defensive midfield position supposedly protecting the
back-four. Those decisions proved costly, with the former stifled by a
well-organised PSG outfit and the latter appearing totally lost as he failed
miserably to provide a launching pad for attacks or the requisite shield for
centre-back pairing Cahill and Terry.
Just beyond
the hour-mark, a wicked in-swinging free-kick from the influential Lavezzi brought
about PSG’s second goal when the ineffectual David Luiz put the ball into his
own net under little pressure, possibly put off by the presence of Ibrahimovic
to his left.
Meanwhile, Zlatan
went off with a muscle injury on 68 minutes having only affected the game
fleetingly in one of his least impressive club appearances of a wildly
successful season thus far.
Ibrahimovic’s
premature departure from proceedings failed to halt the Paris freight train
running amok over a beleaguered Chelsea rearguard when piling further misery on
to the away side in injury-time; sub Javier Pastore firstly left Azpilicueta on
his backside, before stylishly dribbling past Lampard and firing low and hard past
Cech at his near post to round off a remarkable night.
This convincing statement sent out by the galaxy of Paris Saint-Germain stars cannot be underestimated; those who doubted their credentials to lift the Champions’ League trophy this campaign have been made to eat their words to an extent, while putting 2012 European champions Chelsea to the sword much like sacrificial lambs to the slaughter will undoubtedly encourage burgeoning fear inside the hearts of PSG’s potential final-four opponents should they complete the job at Stamford Bridge next Tuesday.
Twitter: @davewh1980
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