French newspaper L’Equipe delivered a brutal verdict after Chelsea’s Champions League defeat to Paris Saint‑Germain.
L’Equipe handed several Chelsea stars shockingly low 2/10 and 3/10 ratings, with goalkeeper Filip Jörgensen singled out as a major culprit.
PSG took a commanding lead in the Champions League Round of 16 this week with a 5-2 win at the Parc des Princes.
In an enthralling encounter, Chelsea twice recovered from a goal down before a late, second-half collapse. The match turned in the 74th minute when Filip Jörgensen made a costly error that allowed Vitinha to chip home.
The reigning European champions then capitalised on the momentum shift, with Khvicha Kvaratskhelia scoring twice in the final minutes to secure a three-goal cushion.
The result left Chelsea battered and bruised by the final whistle. And L’Equipe are not kind with their ratings either.
Jörgensen blamed for decisive turning point
They hand Jorgensen a 2/10 for his performance, insisting that he ‘bears a heavy responsibility’ for the defeat. His mistake was a key part of that, but the newspaper says he ‘constantly took risks’ with his distribution throughout the game.
Ahead of him, Wesley Fofana is handed a 3/10 rating as he ‘lacked sharpness’ for PSG’s first two goals. Joao Pedro is also given a three as he was ‘effectively neutralised’ by Pacho. Moises Caicedo, meanwhile, gets a four as ‘failed to display his usual brilliance’.
L'Equipe rates Chelsea players, and it's not pretty
L’Equipe rates Chelsea players, and it’s not pretty
Reece James is awarded a five, but Malo Gusto is given a six. L’Equipe say he ‘distinguished himself with his first goal in the Champions League and ‘several quality defensive interventions’.
Pedro Neto also gets a six while Enzo Fernandez gets a seven. He, according to the newspaper, ‘delivered a top-class performance’ full of technical skill, work rate and attacking contributions. Chelsea boss Liam Rosenior, meanwhile, is handed a 4/10 rating.
The history Chelsea are now fighting against
Chelsea face PSG again in the second leg at Stamford Bridge on 17 March, but history suggests the task is monumental.
History is against them on that part, though. No team has ever overturned a 5-2 first-leg defeat in the history of the Champions League knockout stages.
Several teams have overcome three-goal deficits, but they have typically done so after losing the first leg 3-0 or 4-1. Only four teams have progressed after trailing by three or more goals in the first leg.
The last team to do so was Liverpool in 2019 with their famous win over Barcelona. In fact, Barcelona are often involved in such encounters. They also lost to Roma in 2018 but beat PSG in 2017 to progress from the last 16. Perhaps that result should give Chelsea confidence.