By Bonface Mulyungi
PARIS Saint-Germain extinguished Chelsea’s faint hopes with a ruthless 3-0 victory at Stamford Bridge, sealing an emphatic 8-2 aggregate win to advance to the Champions League quarter-finals.
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia opened the scoring early, capitalising on a defensive error to put the holders in command. Bradley Barcola then doubled the lead with a spectacular strike, effectively ending the tie as a contest before the half-hour mark.
Substitute Senny Mayulu added a third after the break, completing a comprehensive performance from Luis Enrique’s side. PSG will now face either Liverpool or Galatasaray in the last eight next month.
The victory keeps PSG’s dream of retaining the title alive and avenges their loss to Chelsea in last year’s Club World Cup final. “It is amazing. To score three goals away against Chelsea is good and the important thing is that we continue to play very well,” Kvaratskhelia told Canal Plus.
Chelsea, needing to overturn a 5-2 first-leg deficit, never truly believed in a comeback according to manager Liam Rosenior. “A tough night. We knew it was a tough ask and then we started the game in the manner that we did,” he said.
The Blues’ misery was compounded when defender Trevoh Chalobah was stretchered off late with a sprained ankle, forcing them to finish with 10 men. Attention now turns to their Premier League top-four battle after a damaging week of defeats.
PSG looked sharper from the outset, benefitting from a postponed weekend Ligue 1 fixture. Kvaratskhelia’s early goal, after outmuscling debutant Mamadou Sarr, set the tone. Barcola’s brilliant finish from an Achraf Hakimi assist soon followed.
Mayulu’s powerful strike after the hour mark was the final blow on a chastening evening for the hosts. The result marks PSG’s fourth two-legged knockout win against English opposition since the start of last year.
