Paris Saint-Germain striker Edinson Cavani celebrates after scoring his side’s second goal during a Round of 16 first leg match against Chelsea.Gonzalo Fuentes/Reuters
Struggling striker Edinson Cavani came off the bench to score the winner as Paris Saint-Germain beat Chelsea 2-1 in a pulsating first leg in the last 16 of the Champions League on Tuesday.
Cavani, who has lost his place in the side in recent weeks, latched onto a superb pass over Chelsea's stretched defence from winger Angel Di Maria and slotted through the legs of goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois from a narrow angle in the 78th minute.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic put PSG ahead with a powerful free kick in the 39th minute, only for Chelsea to level against the run of play on the stroke of halftime with a rare goal from midfielder John Obi Mikel.
Courtois made a string of saves to keep Chelsea in contention heading into the second leg, and Spanish winger Pedro almost spoiled the home celebrations in injury time with a rasping drive into the side netting.
PSG is unbeaten in domestic competition since March and in all competitions since a 1-0 reverse away to Real Madrid in the group stage on Nov. 3 – a run of 23 games.
Still, coach Laurent Blanc's side could regret a host of missed chances and Chelsea will fancy its chances at Stamford Bridge in three weeks' time.
Chelsea knocked out PSG in the quarterfinals two years ago and PSG won when they met at the same stage last season – with both ties settled on away goals.
PSG's preparations for the match were rocked by a scandal involving right back Serge Aurier, who was suspended by the club for insulting Blanc and some teammates in an expletive-filled online video.
But Blanc's side came out with plenty of energy, with midfielder Marco Verratti forcing a save from Courtois and Brazilian winger Lucas shooting wide from outside the penalty area.
Chelsea's makeshift defence – missing injured centre-halves John Terry and Kurt Zouma – was often caught in two minds, whether to sit back or push up on their opponents.
Thankfully for the visitors, left back Cesar Azpilicueta was razor sharp to cut out Di Maria's defence-splitting pass to Lucas just as he was breaking into the penalty area.
But the visitors almost took a shock lead in the 23rd only for PSG goalkeeper Kevin Trapp to make an outstanding one-handed stop to push Diego Costa's header onto the crossbar following left back Abdul Baba Rahman's drifting cross.
Moments later, Pedro's dangerous cross fizzed through a forest of legs as PSG suddenly found itself under pressure.
PSG attacked next, but Ibrahimovic – having done well to peel off his marker – delivered a poor downward header that startled Courtois only because it was so weak.
Di Maria wasted another opportunity, smacking wide of the right post, but PSG's persistence finally paid off after Lucas was fouled by Mikel some 25 metres out.
After a brief debate as to who would take the free-kick, the obvious outcome prevailed and Ibrahimovic's powerful strike clipped Mikel's leg and wrong-footed Courtois.
Ibrahimovic's joy was intense as he slid on his knees to celebrate his goal. Understandable, too, given that he was harshly sent off during the first half in the second leg last season.
But PSG's defence, so rarely tested in the French league, paid the price for poor marking when Costa rose brilliantly above Ibrahimovic to flick on a corner, the ball fell to Mikel and he blasted past Trapp from close quarters.
While Ibrahimovic scores for fun – it was his 28th goal of another prolific season – Mikel hardly ever finds the net. It was the Nigerian's first goal since December, 2014 – also in the Champions League – and only his seventh in 361 career club appearances.
Chelsea's travelling support chanted "You're not singing anymore" as the home crowd fell silent and, from the restart, Chelsea could have scored again when Willian played in Costa. But he opened his foot too much, allowing Trapp to easily guess the angle of his shot.
Courtois was by far the busier goalie from then on, stopping efforts from Di Maria and Ibrahimovic inside the first 15 minutes of the second half.
After midfielder Blaise Matuidi saw his close-range shot blocked by a sliding Branislav Ivanovic, Courtois then unlocked all of his giant frame to superbly palm away Di Maria's shot as it looked to be curling into the left corner.
But Cavani beat him through the legs to give PSG a slender advantage.