Ibrahimovic Strikes As Chelsea Are Eliminated From Champions League
Zlatan Ibrahimovic lead Paris Saint-Germain to a second leg win against Chelsea as he scored one and set up another for the visitors who came away with a 2-1 win (4-2 on aggregate) to knock Chelsea out of the Champions League for the second year running on Wednesday night.
The first goal came in the 16th minute of the game after Zlatan Ibrahimovic peeled away from Gary Cahill (who looked confused as to whether to go with the man or not) and played a lovely cross into the box for Adrien Rabiot to sweep home.
The visitors were on top for large periods of the game. Chelsea’s high pressing however was causing them troubles and this was evident when Pedro robbed Motta of the ball, found Willian who in turn found Diego Costa. The striker then beautifully rounded Thiago Silva before slotting the ball into the bottom corner to score for the fifth consecutive match at Stamford Bridge.
Willian and Eden Hazard then forced PSG goalkeeper Kevin Trapp into a double save as Chelsea looked for the goal that would send the tie into extra time, but Ibrahimovic volleyed home Angel Di Maria’s low delivery to book the Ligue 1 side’s place in the next round.
The blues were also dealt blows with both Diego Costa and Eden Hazard being forced of as a result of injury. Both players are now doubts for Chelsea’s FA Cup quarter final game against Everton this weekend.
Elimination means the Blues, who sit 10th in the Premier League and 10 points behind fourth-place Manchester City with nine games remaining, now face the prospect of no Champions League football next season.
In the other Champions League game of the night, former Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boas’s team Zenith St Petersburg were knocked out of the Champions League after losing 2-1 on the night ( 3-1 on aggregate) to Benfica.
As for PSG, they will wait to see who joins them in the last eight of the Champions League after they became the fourth team to earn their spot, joining Real Madrid, Benfica and Wolfsburg.
