The tie between Paris Saint Germain and Chelsea was certainly viewed as one of the best encounters of the last 16 of the UEFA Champions League. Having met in the quarter-finals of last year’s competition and played out two thrilling matches, all eyes were on the Parc des Princes last night. One look at the VIP list present in the stadium was enough to highlight the importance of the fixture: Nicolas Sarkozy, Michel Platini, David Beckham, Sir Alex Ferguson, Lillian Thuram and Dunga to name a few.
Unfortunately, the first half failed to live up to its billing, with both teams playing out a cagy match with quite a few nerves on display.
Ibrahimovic and Matuidi threatened early for PSG, but they were the only real chances for the first half an hour of play. Nevertheless, Chelsea went into the break 1-0 up thanks to Ivanovic’s header. The defender has a knack for showing up in big matches and did it again as he gave the Blues the lead with their only real chance of the opening 45 minutes.
The second half proved to be much more engaging affair, and it was nearly all PSG. The French side found their equaliser when Cavani was left completely unmarked in the box by Cahill and Terry. His header found the back of the net to make 1-1, and PSG looked likely to push on and find a winner if it wasn’t for Thibault Courtois in the Chelsea goal.
The big Belgian making a number of impressive saves to deny the French Champions a second. It ended 1-1, a draw that Jose Mourinho will be more than happy with ahead of the return leg due to be played at Stamford Bridge on March 11.
