Chelsea thumped by PSG in disastrous first leg

PSG 5
Barcola (10′)
Dembele (40′)
Vitinha (74′)
Kvaratskhelia (86′, 94’+4)

Chelsea 2
Gusto (28′)
Fernandez (57′)

Chelsea will have to pull off an incredible second-leg comeback if they are to reach the quarter-finals of the Champions League.

They equalised twice in their last-16 first leg, but a mistake by keeper Filip Jorgensen enabled Paris St-Germain to retake the lead, and two late goals by Khvicha Kvaratskhelia seem likely to prove decisive.

Malo Gusto levelled after Bradley Barcola’s early opener, but Ousmane Dembele restored the home side’s lead shortly before half-time.

Enzo Fernandez netted early in the second half but, after Jorgensen – who was selected ahead of Robert Sanchez – had given the ball away, Vitinha punished him with a delicate chip.

Chelsea did trouble the holders and would have had every reason to feel upbeat ahead of next week’s second leg at Stamford Bridge had they not conceded twice late on.

Barcola fired in the opener off the underside of the bar after Joao Neves had headed down Dembele’s cross.

Chelsea responded strongly and Gusto’s shot went through keeper Matvei Safonov after the full-back had been set up by Fernandez’s pass.

However, after Safonov kept out a strike from Cole Palmer, PSG sprang a devastating counter-attack and Dembele tricked his way away from Wesley Fofana before shooting past Jorgensen.

• Chelsea’s first-leg defeat – as it happened

Again Chelsea hit back. Pedro Neto nicked the ball from Desiree Doue, darted down the left and found Fernandez, who applied the finish.

But when Jorgensen tried to pass the ball out, Barcola intercepted, the ball dropped to Kvaratskhelia, who teed up Vitinha, and the Portuguese superbly chipped the embarrassed keeper.

Chelsea were still very much in the tie, but Kvaratskhelia’s thumping strike made it 4-2 and, in the final seconds, the Georgian scored after being set up by Achraf Hakimi.

Chelsea: Jorgensen, Gusto (Garnacho 88), Fofana, Chalobah, Cucurella, James, Caicedo, Palmer (Lavia 83), Fernandez, Neto, Joao Pedro (Delap 83).
Subs not used: Sanchez, Merrick, Acheampong, Badiashile, Sarr, Tosin, Hato, Santos, Guiu.