Paris Saint-Germain vs. Chelsea 3-1

Paris Saint-Germain claimed a famous scalp tonight in the Champions League, downing Chelsea 3-1 in the first leg of their quarterfinal tie. Goals from Ezequiel Lavezzi, Javier Pastore and the guile of Blaise Matuidi powered PSG past a Chelsea side that looked good in flashes but faded down the stretch. Sickeningly, Chelsea conceded Pastore’s stinger – a lovely piece of individual skill – just before full-time.
“It was a horrible time to concede and a sloppy goal,” said Chelsea’s Gary Cahill. “It's a big blow. 2-1 would have been OK but this is devastating.”
Jose Mourinho was even pithier: the goal was: “ridiculous.”
“The third goal was a joke,” said the Chelsea manager. “It was not a goal, it was a joke.”
A cynic would point out that newer money beat new money Wednesday night, that petrodollars bought both these teams’ glory. The raucous Parc de Princes won’t care, and why should they? The guard may well have changed here, and these PSG fans sense that their team may finally be joining the true elite.
Yes, Chelsea have a precious away goal, and yes, they can recover. But on the evidence, they will struggle against this smart and fast PSG side in a week’s time. “We are not out,” said Mourinho. “We will try.” But he looked as if he believed the match was beyond him.