Last Wednesday, a rare bit of poetic justice prevailed on the world stage of soccer. Bear in mind that I find it hard to empathize with these mega-clubs of Europe that routinely spend tens of millions every transfer window in order to acquire and keep the best talent—leaving the rest to make do with what’s left. Paris Saint-Germain fully deserves the Champions League Quarter-Final spot it earned over Chelsea after grinding out a 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge.
Across 120 minutes of play, PSG consistently showed to be the better side—despite playing a man down for the majority of the match after their larger-than-life superstar striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic received a red card in the 31st minute. The big Swede was unfairly ejected after sliding in — just a second late—to a 50-50 ball with Chelsea’s Oscar. Chelsea’s lack of focus became apparent for the first time in their reaction to the foul, with all 10 players surrounding the referee immediately pleading for red like “a bunch of babies,” according to Ibrahimovic. In contrast, PSG remained undaunted, allowing instead for their play to do the talking.
With both sides used to controlling the pace of play in their respective domestic leagues, the game went about at a remarkably frenetic speed—even after Ibrahimovic’s sending off. Despite his absence, PSG was able to edge Chelsea through the industrious work of their midfield trio—Thiago Motta, Marco Verratti and Blaise Matuidi—and a high-pressing, persistent Brazilian back-line. The trio was incredible on the ball, allowing PSG to finish the match with a remarkable 51 percent of possession. This wasn’t just a matter of having more horizontal and backwards passing—PSG outcrossed Chelsea 25 to 22 and manufactured three more through balls. Verratti also lead the team in tackles with seven, helping relieve the pressure on PSG’s defense. The cohesive and focused team effort is clear when reviewing the tackle and foul numbers for each side—19 tackles and 24 fouls for Chelsea and 30 tackles but just 17 fouls for PSG. Finally, while placing a sitter off the post that would have put PSG in front, Edinson Cavani was a bulldog up front—providing crucial hold-up and outlet play in Ibrahimovic’s absence.
Meanwhile, Chelsea went about their business as if they weren’t interested in winning the match at all. As he is prone to do in big matches, the usually dominant Cesc Fabregas was nowhere to be found. Ramires seemed to serve as little more than a placeholder in the middle of the park — on numerous occasions dribbling directly into opposing players and inaccurately dispatching the ball out of bounds. Oscar was placed out of position on the right side of midfield—to the fault of Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho—while superior options Willian and Juan Cuadrado languished on the bench. As a result, an astonishing 44 percent of Chelsea’s attacking play was forced down the left side, placing an unnecessarily large burden upon their only shining light throughout the match—Eden Hazard. He received little support from lone striker Diego Costa, who seemed more intent on drawing a foul or riling up PSG’s center back pairing of David Luiz and Thiago Silva.
PSG’s resolve was perfectly typified by the manner in which they went behind and eventually drew level—twice. After Gary Cahill smashed home what was sure to be the game-winner in the 81st minute, David Luiz directed in one of the most powerful headers in the history of soccer off of a corner kick, just five minutes later. Again, after Hazard calmly slotted home a penalty in the first half of extra time, you would think that the game was over and Chelsea were sure to be through. But from another corner in the 114th minute, Silva—the very defender whose handball conceded Hazard’s penalty—placed a perfectly lofted header over Thibaut Courtois’ 6’5’’ frame to lead PSG to the next round.
In the end, Chelsea provided a distracted effort, at best. They looked like a team with its sights firmly set on the next round before they’d even been guaranteed a place. Conversely, PSG displayed the grit and determination required of a Champions League finalist. If they can carry this mentality forward, there’s no reason PSG can’t win it all—especially with 11 men on the field.
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