Terry, ruled out of the clash through injury, was forced to watch from the stands as Chelsea were dumped out of Europe with a 2-1 defeat at Stamford Bridge, losing their last-16 tie 4-2 on aggregate.
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While an undoubtedly world-class player, his stint in the Premier League was disastrous, and that has shaped a still-faintly visible delusion that he’s not a top-class player.
Chelsea’s only hope of any silverware this season is by winning the FA Cup and they visit Everton in the quarter-finals on Saturday.
It initially appeared Chelsea would struggle to respond, but they were level 11 minutes later when Pedro dispossessed Thiago Motta and Willian found Costa, who checked inside past Thiago Silva and steered left-footed into the bottom corner. “Chelsea must consider its short future, how to handle this”.
If he does go this summer, leaving Chelsea behind with no Champions League football to play next season, then his legacy will surely not be how he led them to the title but how he let it go so easily.
Chelsea’s only losses under Hiddink have been inflicted by PSG, who advanced to the quarter-finals for a fourth straight season and a second in a row at the expense of the Blues.
Striker Diego Costa is also being assessed.
Ibrahimovic’s goal and assist for Rabiot also represented a more personal redemption after the Swede was sent off just 31 minutes into last season’s corresponding fixture, and Blanc insists that his star striker has nothing more to prove as an elite player. “Diego was desperate to play, although he was not 100 per cent fit, but he was desperate”. I don’t know if it became worse.
“I think because he’s 34, he’s playing a little bit easier. In the 67th minute it all changed”, said Chelsea interim manager Guus Hiddink.
“You always have doubts because it’s Ligue 1”. The Daily Mail said: “So much for loyalty – Eden Hazard controversially swaps shirts with PSG’s Angel di Maria at half-time”.
“He must have seen something in me”, McDermott said.
“It’s a pity for a team that pushed so well and created some great chances that we end up losing this game and the tie”, he said.
“I thought both of PSG’s goal last night were down to really poor defending, you can nearly blame the whole back four”, he told the Alan Brazil Sports Breakfast. “We are progressing, we are getting better and better”, he added.
And it drew level through Costa’s wonderful strike 12 minutes later with the Spaniard turning his man before firing the ball into the far corner from the edge of the penalty area.
“We tried everything to win the game”. Kenedy is better further up the pitch.
PSG, who have only lost twice in 44 matches in all competitions this season and are set to win the French League for the fourth successive year, took an early grip on the game with Ibrahimovic linking superbly with Di Maria and Lucas.
Blanc praised Di Maria and Ibrahimovic for their performances.
“Where we end up we don’t know”. He has plenty of that as it is.
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But the Portuguese club scored a crucial goal in the 85th minute when Raul Jimenez’s curled volley was tipped onto the bar by goalkeeper Yuri Lodygin and fell perfectly for Gaitan’s header.
