Report: Paris Saint-Germain v Chelsea

By David Lee Wheatley

Jose Mourinho sprang a surprise in his team selection by choosing winger-cum-forward Andre Schurrle as a lone striker at the Parc des Princes, as his Chelsea side travelled to Paris looking for a vital away goal to take back to Stamford Bridge.

Hosts PSG began the game with gusto and their early pressure told when Argentine live-wire Ezequiel Lavezzi pounced on a weak defensive header by Chelsea captain John Terry to send a half-volley into the roof of the net in only the fourth minute. It required fantastic technique from the former Napoli man to chest the ball down and drag it from slightly behind him to then finish sweetly past Petr Cech.

Ramires received a cheap yellow card after 12 minutes when he fouled the goalscorer Lavezzi, who made the most of a poor challenge by rolling over-and-over in order to catch the referee's eye. Unfortunately for the feisty midfielder, the booking means he will miss the return leg in London next week.

The Parisians desire to extend their lead showed no sign of abating with a great run along the left-hand side of the penalty area from danger-man Lavezzi, only for his low shot to harmlessly hit the side-netting.

However, Thiago Silva threw all of the home side's good work out of the window when felling international team-mate Oscar in the box to give away a penalty in the 26th minute. Former Lille star Eden Hazard, marked out as the player to watch from the very start by the opposition defence, slotted the ball away into the bottom left of the goal with great aplomb to level matters.

Chelsea visibly grew in confidence following Hazard's strike and PSG were panicking in possession, thus giving the visitors abundant opportunities to attack.

Belgian Hazard was becoming more effective on the left of Chelsea's forward line, culminating in a fabulous volley which beat keeper Sirigu all ends up, but bounced back out off the far post to safety. It was oh-so-unlucky for the Blues, as they strove desperately to get their noses in front.

With seconds left in the first-half, Cavani tangled with Cahill in the box only to have his vociferous penalty appeals turned down by the Serbian official. Replays suggested there was in fact a case to answer and the Uruguayan can count himself unfortunate not to have gotten the call in his favour.

There commenced a rather frantic start to the second period and the best chance of the opening exchanges arrived when Lavezzi headed just over from a Matuidi cross on 52 minutes.

Six minutes later, the hard-working Schurrle was replaced by Fernando Torres for the first substitution of the evening. It seemed to upset Chelsea's rhythm somewhat, as PSG began putting their guests under the cosh substantially more than they'd done since Hazard's equaliser.

Just after the hour-mark, PSG broke through the opposition rearguard with an inswinging free-kick which was turned in for an own goal by utility man David Luiz. His running pattern meant he met the ball full-on and was unable to adjust his feet in order to clear the ball to safety.

It was all PSG following their scrappy second, with Ibrahimovic seeing a powerful attempt blocked by John Terry and then Cavani burst through only to find the considerable obstacle of Gary Cahill standing strong in his path. 

In the midst of the fast-paced action, both Ibrahimovic and Verratti had to go off the field with injuries which plunges their chances of participation at Stamford Bridge into severe doubt.

Meanwhile, Mourinho's men managed to break out on the counter-attack twice through firstly Eden Hazard and then Torres, only for both moves to break down at the crucial moment. The final pass was missing in each case when Chelsea held the numerical advantage against opponents who'd sent too many players forward into the attacking third.

Javier Pastore came on for 'Man-of-the-Match' Lavezzi, as Paris Saint-Germain made their final change of the night. He jogged off to a standing ovation from the appreciative capacity crowd in attendance.

Edinson Cavani came close to scoring once again in the 84th minute when curling a low effort just past Cech's left-hand upright. A mêlée ensued shortly afterwards between the frustrated striker and David Luiz, which saw PSG head coach Laurent Blanc lead the frizzy-haired Brazilian away from the epicentre of the argument to avoid further tension between the pair. Thanks largely to the actions of World Cup winner Blanc, both got away with a stern word from the sensible referee.

Matters appeared to be drawing to a close at 2-1, with Chelsea seemingly happy to take their away goal and run. However, sub Pastore had other ideas deep into injury-time, as he stepped past the prone Azpilicueta on the right near the byline and then dribbled skilfully beyond Lampard before firing a stinger underneath Cech at his near post for PSG's third.

Going into the highly anticipated return in six days time, Pastore's late intervention hands the French league leaders a comfortable two-goal cushion to fall back on in the face of the expected onslaught to come. The final scoreline also suggests the wealthy Parisian outfit are serious contenders for the trophy this time around after dropping out at the quarter-final stage last season.

As for Chelsea, they're left with a mountain to climb if they're to rekindle faint hopes of achieving Champions' League glory for the second time in three years.

Twitter: @davewh1980

The Report: Everton v Newcastle United

fBy David Lee Wheatley

A rampant Everton side were three goals up against a woeful Newcastle United at half-time, before a change of shape and personnel inspired a fight-back that almost rescued an unlikely point for the visitors at Goodison Park last night.

Powerful striker Romelu Lukaku opened the scoring in only the 5^th minute after great work down the right from Belgian international team-mate Kevin Mirallas.

The Magpies were defending as if they’d never played alongside one another previously, with some particularly strange decision-making from centre-back Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa.

Alan Pardew’s men were ripped apart midway through the first period by a neat interchange between Lukaku and Ross Barkley, who dashed through to finish smartly following an intelligent move that split the United central defence wide open.

If things were looking bleak for the away team at that stage, it got even worse eight minutes before the end of the half when a hopeful long ball from Toffees goalkeeper Tim Howard somehow found its way to the ever-dangerous Lukaku; Yanga-Mbiwa inexplicably ran away from the forward rather than challenging him, thus leaving Krul and Coloccini hopelessly exposed. Lukaku gleefully accepted the generous offer of a free run at goal to take the game seemingly beyond an awful Newcastle side.

Apart from a couple of fleeting glimpses of attacking threat from Hatem Ben Arfa, there was very little for the travelling Toon Army to get excited about. However, the home supporters were in utter delirium at what they had witnessed, with chief protagonists Barkley and Lukaku looking capable of conjuring scoring chances at will.

Toon boss Pardew must have been livid at his team’s listless performance and he made two decisive substitutions in an effort to turn the tide, bringing on Williamson for Yanga-Mbiwa and Cabaye for Ben Arfa, thus pushing Sissoko out wide. Midfield man Cabaye had been a doubt prior to kick-off due to a groin strain, but Pardew had evidently seen enough and made the call to take a risk on the Frenchman.

The gamble paid off spectacularly six minutes into the new half when Cabaye picked the ball up 25 yards out, strode confidently forward before unleashing a missile of shot that was going into the net from the second the ball left his foot. Newcastle looked remarkably compact in contrast to their initial showing and were causing more than a few problems for the Everton rearguard - finally a glimmer of hope amid the gloom.

It appeared that Everton were in danger of collapsing under the pressure at times, as the black-and-whites worked tirelessly to drag themselves back into contention in a match they seemed to have lost by the halfway point.

Despite Loic Remy bundling his way through a challenge to score with a minute remaining, their remarkable turnaround in form during the second period was to no avail. Alas, no points were accrued, but at least some pride was salvaged from the wreckage of the opening 45 minutes.

For Everton, their unbeaten start to the season under Roberto Martinez continues thanks to a classy first-half display and specifically a powerhouse performance from Romelu Lukaku; how Chelsea must rue letting him go out on loan for the season in light of their ongoing issues in the striking department.

 

Twitter: @davewh1980

Bayern v Chelsea: The Report

By David Lee Wheatley

Fresh from the disappointment of losing his place in the Spanish national squad alongside Blues team-mate Juan Mata for their country's forthcoming World Cup preparations, striker Fernando Torres made a magnificent impact only eight minutes into UEFA's showpiece Super Cup clash involving Chelsea and Bayern Munich in Prague.

The match had been billed all week as a needle-filled head-to-head between trainers Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho, but having each played down their supposed rivalry, it was finally down to business on the field of play.

Belgian ace Eden Hazard displayed grace and skill when firstly turning smartly and then running with absolute gusto from his own half, before playing the ball wide for Andre Schurrle on the right. The German sent in a pinpoint low cross for Torres, who was deadly from inside the box with an emphatic finish on the half-volley, leaving Manuel Neuer no chance.

Bayern were almost totally in control of possession after falling behind, which led to a fine save from hometown boy Petr Cech down low to his left following a good effort from French danger-man Franck Ribery on 16 minutes. Muller then got free on the right side of the penalty area only to see his shot blocked into the side-netting by Cole.

Goalscorer Torres blazed a shot over the bar as the half neared an end, as Europa League holders Chelsea attempted to put a golden seal on a first-half full of counter-attacking menace from Mourinho's men.

Reigning European champions Bayern bit back spectacularly two minutes after the restart when the inspirational Ribery collected the ball 30 yards from goal, advanced and unleashed a powerful right-footed drive past the despairing reach of Cech. He almost struck again immediately after, but the finish was tame in comparison with the equalising effort.

Fans of the Bavarian giants were in full voice as their heroes became increasingly threatening in their forays forward, with a 55th-minute free-kick from the left by Ribery finding Robben in space amongst a snoozing Chelsea rearguard, but he ballooned high and wide when in position to do much better.

Guardiola was getting animated on the touchline, as Bayern's undoubted dominance failed to translate into a second goal; it was all German pressure by the hour mark and the Blues were struggling to cope.

Brazilian defender Dante almost undid Bayern's hard work when inexplicably losing possession on the edge of his own area to Schurrle, his cross finding Oscar who's straight shot was met by the onrushing Neuer's legs. The resultant loose ball pinged out to Lampard 20 yards out, but he fired way over.

What a contest it was turning out to be; especially in comparison with several Super Cups of the past that've largely flattered to deceive, eventually lulling most observers into a peaceful sleep through utter boredom. In contrast, both sides on view tonight desperately wanted to win and were putting up a great fight to claim the honours, while fans inside the stadium were creating a cacophony of noise.

With 12 minutes remaining, captain Frank Lampard sent in a tempting corner from the right which was met by a David Luiz flick-on in the direction of Ivanovic behind him. The Serbian reacted quickly to head agonisingly against the crossbar, while keeper Neuer flapped at thin air.

Chelsea were coming on strong and Neuer was forced to pull off a smart point-blank save from a Luiz leaping header shortly before a savage blow was dealt to the west Londoners' hopes of victory with a red card for the over-zealous Ramires with only four minutes left on the clock.

The two sides couldn't be separated and so matters moved on to extra-time; a daunting prospect for a tiring 10-man Chelsea team, or so it initially appeared.

However, two minutes into the first-half of added time, Hazard received the ball on the left before cutting in menacingly and hitting a 15-yard thunderbolt under a slow-motion Neuer to defy the odds. They then retreated ever deeper into their defensive third to see out the rest of the opening extra-time period, while blocking everything Bayern threw at them.

Bayern were back in the hunt after the resumption of play and Mandzukic was denied an equaliser by an incredible Cech save when it seemed a certain goal.

Mourinho waved his arms furiously to get the Chelsea fans and players rallied for one last Herculean effort, as Ribery lined up a free-kick with time ticking away. The Man-of-the-Match curled a delightful effort towards the top corner, only for the defiant Cech to palm it away to his right.

It looked for all the world that Chelsea were going to hold on, but injury-time saviour Javi Martinez shattered their dreams with a neat finish from inside the area to take the tie to penalties.

In a tense atmosphere, the first three kicks from each side were beautifully executed and then star man Ribery made it 4-3. Afterwards, Ashley Cole got lucky when his attempt hit the inside of the post before trickling in and it was still all to play for. Bayern then made it 5-4, leaving sub Romelu Lukaku with the task of keeping his side in the contest. His penalty was far too soft and much too close to Neuer, who made the short leap to his left to gather the ball easily and hand the prestigious trophy to the Munich outfit.

If this evening's show is a sign of things to come when the world's premier club competition gets underway in earnest, then we can look forward to a compelling list of fixtures throughout the campaign as the continent's greatest clubs do battle for right to call themselves Europe's best.

Twitter: @davewh1980

Facebook.com/DLWSports