Zlatan Ibrahimovic put PSG ahead with a powerful free-kick in the 39th minute, only for Chelsea to level on the stroke of halftime with a rare goal from midfielder John Obi Mikel.
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Hazard, Chelsea’s player of the year last season, signed a new five-year contract last year, but scored his only club goal of the season so far from the penalty spot against second-tier side Milton Keynes Dons in the FA Cup on January 31.
Defender Cahill says Chelsea now know what they have to do in the second leg. He said: “We pushed for the goal tonight, managed to get it. Disappointed at the end”.
PSG will now travel to London with a 2-1 lead, but will hope to do a better job defending that lead than they did in the Champions League quarterfinals two years ago. PSG will fancy their chances of catching the Blues out as they look to attack more. AFP PHOTO / KENZO TRIBOUILLARDKENZO TRIBOUILLARD/AFP/Getty Images PARIS, FRANCE – FEBRUARY 16: PSG players line up prior to the UEFA Champions League round of 16 first leg match between Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea at Parc des Princes on February 16, 2016 in Paris, France.
That is because Branislav Ivanovic is likely to be shifted to centre-back from right-back alongside Gary Cahill in the absence of Terry, with Rahman slotting in at left-back and Cesar Azpilicueta moving over to right-back.
Courtois was much busier, stopping efforts from Di Maria and Ibrahimovic and unlocking his giant frame to superbly palm away Di Maria’s curling shot.
Lucas was replaced in the 74th minute by Cavani who had an immediate impact, collecting Angel Di Maria’s ideal pass on the right and scoring with a low shot through Courtois’s legs. Oscar came on for the ineffective Eden Hazard, but the Brazil playmaker’s role was mainly a defensive one.
“I think everybody will miss Mourinho at the game”, he told The Times of India.
“Real Madrid and Barcelona are a long away ahead of the other teams in their league but then in the Champions League, they still perform at their best”.
“Now we have more confidence to go there and to play”.
“So at the end, yeah it hurt a little bit, but still we are in a race. That’s why we’d prefer him to keep undergoing treatment back at Cobham”, the 69-year-old added. They remain in the bottom half of the Premier League but they have gone 12 games unbeaten, including a 5-1 thumping of Newcastle United on Saturday as Diego Costa scored his eighth goal in that time.
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“To concede two, it’s hard when they have so many corners and final third entries”. “Now we are boxing in a category that we don’t have in our domestic league”, added Blanc, whose side are a huge 24 points clear at the top of Ligue 1 from second-placed Monaco and destined to win a fourth straight French title.
