Chelsea reached the semi finals of the UEFA Champions League for the seventh time in last 11 years defeating Paris Saint Germain on away goal advantage. Chelsea won the second leg of the two-legged quarter-final encounter against PSG 2-0 which left the teams locked on 3-3 in aggregate. But Eden Hazard’s goal in the first leg turned out to be the deciding factor in the tie. Demba Ba also deserves the limelight taking into account his 87th minute goal on the night that brought Chelsea on level terms with PSG. Quite naturally Jose Mourinho was found ecstatic and bursting into celebration with his team’s saviour when he scored the all important equalizer in the tie. The first goal came in the 32nd minute of the match when Andre Schurrle swept in for the home team. Since then Chelsea was looking good for the second goal and it finally came in the 87th minute. PSG without their star striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, out due to an injury, was never an easy side to beat as they had Edinson Cavani and Ezequiel Lavezzi in their side who got few chances that could have sealed it for them. But they failed to do so. At the other end Oscar had his free-kick coming off the framework before half-time. But they never gave up and got their rewards when Azlipicueta’s drive fell on Ba’s path, who then made no mistake to find the back of the net.
It was only the second time that Laurent Blanc’s team lost 2-0 to a team in their last 110 encounters. Also it was an end to Ibra’s dream of winning a European trophy. But Mourinho went closer to winning the title for the second time in his career after he had got a taste of it with Inter Milan in 2010. However Eden Hazard’s injury in the 18th minute of the match, which saw him replaced immediately, will surely give the Portuguese some sleepless nights before the semis.
Tags: Chelsea Chelsea reached the semi finals Demba Ba Eden Hazard Edinson Cavani Ezequiel Lavezzi Jose Mourinho Paris Saint Germain PSG UEFA Champions League UEFA news Zlatan Ibrahimovic