Enzo Fernandes may regret celebrating after scoring Chelsea’s equalizer against Paris Saint-Germain. The Argentine midfielder’s superb finish secured a 2-2 win in the Champions League last-16 first leg at the Parc des Princes. The Blues tested Holder for 75 minutes in Paris, but ultimately collapsed in the closing stages and lost 5-2. Hviča Kvaratschelia’s late de Gaulle came off the bench and was a real dagger for Liam Rosenior’s side.
And images circulating on social media suggest Fernandes may be feeling a little red-faced after the Chelsea defeat. After slipping on his knee heading into the away end, the World Cup-winning midfielder was captured by television cameras pointing at the club’s World Cup badge on his chest. Fernandes was apparently referring to the fact that the London team defeated the French giants 3-0 in the final of the newly expanded FIFA competition last July.
But after he reminded fans that Chelsea are world champions, PSG responded with a quality response that reminded everyone why they won the Champions League last season. All five of the hosts’ goals were of top quality and with 15 minutes remaining the Blues were left with a mountain to climb in next week’s second leg.
Chelsea manager Liam Rosenior said: “It was a very disappointing result. I was really, really happy with our performance on the evening, which was the case for most of the game. The last 15, 20 minutes were crazy in a lot of ways.”
“That’s on me. Moments, setbacks, mistakes happen and we need to do better. But in those moments you have to stay calm, myself included. And we didn’t and we got punished by a very good team. That scoreline hurt because for 75 minutes we were tied and playing the game itself.”
“At the top level, at Champions League level, it’s a close difference. And the fifth goal hurt the most. We didn’t settle down. We didn’t address the basic patterns of play. They scored the fifth goal and it made the draw very difficult for us.”
“We are still in this situation at home at Stamford Bridge. We are very close, very close to being an outstanding team, but we have to overcome this hurdle to ensure that happens.”
Captain Reece James also insisted the draw was not over yet. He said: “We are disappointed that we couldn’t finish the way we wanted. This is the Champions League and anything can happen. This is the biggest competition in club football and over the years many teams have turned around draws from worse deficits than in this one.”
“We have put this game behind us and now we have to look forward. We have to react. The game didn’t go our way here, but it’s still half-time. There’s a lot to learn from this game. We know we made it very difficult for ourselves for the second leg, but the game is not over yet and it’s far from it.”
“This is a Champions League tie, the best competition at club level, over two legs. We need to reset and start again. I want to say it again to everyone, especially the Chelsea fans: the game is not over, it’s only half-time and we will give our all in the second leg.”
