A major mistake by Chelsea goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen proved costly as Khvicha Kvaratskhelia scored twice to give Paris Saint-Germain a convincing 5–2 win and a three-goal advantage ahead of the second leg of their UEFA Champions League round-of-16 clash.
Chelsea had battled back strongly to level the match at 2–2, but a misplaced pass from Jorgensen went straight to Bradley Barcola, allowing Vitinha to chip the exposed goalkeeper and put PSG back in front for the third time at Parc des Princes.
Kvaratskhelia then made sure of the victory with a brilliant curling effort from outside the box before adding another with a composed finish in the final moments, leaving Chelsea with a difficult task in the return leg.
Despite conceding within the opening 10 minutes, Chelsea showed resilience throughout much of the game. Barcola had earlier put PSG ahead with a powerful strike after connecting with a cross from Ousmane Dembele.
Chelsea responded when Malo Gusto found the equaliser, finishing neatly after being picked out by Enzo Fernandez.
PSG soon regained the lead when Dembele outpaced Wesley Fofana and calmly slotted the ball past the goalkeeper. The chance came after a clever run from Desire Doue, who worked his way past Moises Caicedo and Trevoh Chalobah before setting up the attack.
Chelsea drew level again in the second half when Pedro Neto won possession from Doue and delivered a low cross that Fernandez finished from close range.
However, PSG coach Luis Enrique introduced Kvaratskhelia late in the game, and the Georgian forward made an immediate impact with two goals that secured a commanding lead for the French champions before the second leg at Stamford Bridge next week.
BY: Andrews Addotey
