PSG are favorites for the Champions League, and their victory over Chelsea demonstrates the reason.
PARIS — Whether one likes it or not, Paris Saint-Germain remains the team to overcome in the Champions League. The reason? The current champions can achieve performances that others can only aspire to, and PSG decisively overwhelmed Chelsea when they shifted into high gear.
This season has been marked by inconsistency and fluctuations for PSG, yet the squad that claimed the Champions League title in such commanding fashion last season seems to have been biding its time at Parc des Princes, poised for a resurgence. That moment arrived as the first leg of this round-of-16 clash neared its final fifteen minutes in Paris.
Chelsea had rallied twice to level the score at 2-2, and the Premier League team appeared ready to seize control of the match ahead of next Tuesday’s second leg at Stamford Bridge. But then the turning point occurred.
A blunder by goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen — unexpectedly chosen over first-choice Robert Sánchez — handed the ball to Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, who set up Vitinha to loft the ball over Jorgensen, making it 3-2. For Chelsea, this represented their third mistake leading to a goal in the Champions League this season; only Tottenham, who are on the brink of relegation, has more among Premier League teams with six.
From that moment forward, PSG — particularly substitute Kvaratskhelia — became unstoppable. They displayed a ruthless edge, and a match that seemed destined for a draw — or even a Chelsea victory — concluded with PSG securing a 5-2 triumph.
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Now, PSG stands as overwhelming favorites to advance to the quarterfinals. Last season, a similar spark propelled PSG to Champions League success. In January 2025, PSG found themselves trailing 2-0 at home against Manchester City, who scored twice shortly after the second half began, putting the French side on the verge of elimination in the League Phase. However, by the end of that match, PSG had turned it around to win 4-2, which transformed their season. They never looked back.
Chelsea certainly did not aid their own cause. PSG netted five goals from an expected goals tally of just 0.87 — that +4.13 goal-above-expected is the second highest in a Champions League knockout match in the past 15 years. The error that allowed PSG to score the decisive goal was a significant factor.
Ultimately, Chelsea fell victim to another PSG surge, and it was the home side’s exhilarating performance in the final 15 minutes that will alert the rest of Europe.
“The last 15-20 minutes were crazy, but that’s on me,” Chelsea coach Liam Rosenior stated. “We need to respond better when faced with setbacks, remain calm and composed, and that did not occur.
“It’s a painful one because we were in the tie for 75 minutes. We have shot ourselves in the foot, made the tie very difficult now, and the fifth goal is particularly painful.”
PSG possesses remarkable attacking talent, and it all came together against Chelsea, beginning with goals from Bradley Barcola and Ousmane Dembélé in the first half — Dembélé’s counter-attack goal was a striking demonstration of the speed PSG possesses.
Chelsea managed to exploit PSG’s defensive weaknesses, equalizing twice through Malo Gusto and Enzo Fernández, but Enrique’s forwards are so potent that they can compensate for the defensive lapses that have plagued the team throughout the season.
Will these issues hinder their chances of securing back-to-back Champions League titles? That remains a concern, especially following the inexplicable decision to transfer Gianluigi Donnarumma to City in the summer after signing Lucas Chevalier.
Chevalier has faced a challenging first season in Paris and was again on the bench, overlooked in favor of the inconsistent Matvey Safonov, who should have saved Gusto’s goal.
Perhaps PSG can sustain their momentum all the way to another final simply due to their immense attacking prowess, but they will need to replicate the form that overwhelmed Chelsea to ensure that their defensive shortcomings do not become their undoing.
If Kvaratskhelia can maintain the level he displayed in the final 15 minutes, PSG will be too formidable for any other team remaining in the competition.
The Georgian winger scored to make it 4-2 with a powerful curling shot from 20 yards in the 86th minute and then seemingly sealed the game for Chelsea with another goal deep into stoppage time.
Even before he began scoring, the former Napoli player wreaked havoc on Chelsea’s right flank, clearly determined to prove a point to Enrique for starting him on the bench initially.
When Kvaratskhelia netted PSG’s fifth, the Chelsea players collapsed to the ground like a boxer who had absorbed too many blows.
“I think we demonstrated today that we are capable of everything,” Kvaratskhelia remarked. “We just need to continue in this manner. We conceded two goals and can see the mistakes we made, but we are pleased with a three-goal victory. We are still PSG.”
Chelsea still has 90 minutes to turn the tie around next week, but they will realize that PSG is more likely to capitalize on counter-attacks whenever they attempt to score the three goals necessary to erase their deficit.
This was a harsh lesson for Chelsea. They appeared to be a team that could compete for 70 minutes, but then they faced the European champions at their peak.
That PSG was able to simply switch gears and dismantle a Premier League side as strong as Chelsea — a team that managed to defeat PSG in the FIFA Club World Cup final last summer — highlighted the power and quality that Enrique has at his disposal.
Indeed, it has been a challenging season for PSG, but they have showcased their best once more, and no one can contend with them when they perform like this.
