Paris Saint-Germain seized control of their UEFA Champions League round of 16 tie with a thrilling 5–2 victory over Chelsea FC in the first leg on Wednesday.
Substitute Khvicha Kvaratskhelia inspired a late surge for the hosts.
Barcola Opens the Scoring
Bradley Barcola opened the scoring in the 10th minute after controlling a headed pass from João Neves before firing a half-volley under the crossbar.
Chelsea equalised in the 28th minute through Malo Gusto after a cross from Enzo Fernández.
However, Ousmane Dembélé restored PSG’s lead before halftime with a composed finish after weaving through two defenders.
Chelsea Respond Before PSG Regain Control
Chelsea fought back again early in the second half when Fernández converted after Pedro Neto dispossessed Désiré Doué.
PSG regained control after Kvaratskhelia was introduced. He set up Vitinha for a delicate lob in the 74th minute to make it 3–2.
Kvaratskhelia Leads Late PSG Surge
Kvaratskhelia then took centre stage. He cut past Gusto to curl home in the 86th minute.
He added another in stoppage time with a simple tap-in from Achraf Hakimi’s pass to seal a commanding victory.
“I’m happy that I can help, happy that we won against Chelsea because they are a good team,” Kvaratskhelia said.
“We are still PSG. We showed everybody that we are capable of everything.”
Second Leg at Stamford Bridge
The two sides will meet again for the decisive second leg at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday.
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