PSG Crush Chelsea 5-2 in UCL Thriller
Chelsea were left with a huge task in the UEFA Champions League after a late collapse saw them lose 5-2 to Paris Saint Germain in the first leg of their round of 16 tie at the Parc des Princes on Wednesday.
The English side had twice fought back from behind through goals by Malo Gusto and Enzo Fernandez but could not hold on as PSG capitalised on a costly error from goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen and then struck twice more in the closing stages. Bradley Barcola and Ousmane Dembele had earlier put the French champions in front before Vitinha restored their lead in the 74th minute following the Danish goalkeeper’s misplaced pass. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia then added a quick brace to give the home side a commanding three-goal advantage heading into the return fixture at Stamford Bridge next Tuesday.
Chelsea head coach Liam Rosenior defended his decision to start Jorgensen ahead of Robert Sanchez and refused to criticise the player for the mistake that proved decisive. “Players make mistakes and Filip is not the first one to do so. It is part of football but obviously it is bitter,” Rosenior said. He added that the last 15 to 20 minutes were “crazy in many aspects, and that is on me.” Rosenior continued “Setbacks happen but you have to stay calm in the moment and we didn’t and we were punished by a very good team. It is a painful one because for 70 minutes we were in the tie and the game.”
The 41-year-old Englishman, who was appointed Chelsea head coach in January 2026 after guiding Strasbourg to European qualification in Ligue 1, had chosen Jorgensen for his ball-playing ability. “Both have different qualities. Rob is outstanding from crosses and an outstanding shot-stopper,” Rosenior explained. “I am trying to win in the short term and in the long term. I feel Filip has different qualities and one of those qualities, which he showed against Aston Villa, is that we were so calm in possession, which we were not before. Coming here against a really high-pressing team, if you stay calm and play through the initial press you can cause a lot of problems, which we did.”
Rosenior revealed Jorgensen had immediately accepted responsibility. “The first thing is credit to him. He held his hands up in the dressing room. Mistakes happen. Everybody makes mistakes, and what we have to do is look after each other. We have a huge game in three days against Newcastle and we want to see a real reaction and resilience about us in the next game.”
The result extended a difficult recent record for Chelsea against PSG in Europe. The two clubs first met in the Champions League group stage in 2004 and have since clashed in the quarter-finals in 2014-15, when PSG progressed on aggregate, and the round of 16 in 2015-16, when Chelsea advanced. Wednesday’s defeat leaves the London side needing to overturn a three-goal deficit for only the second time in their Champions League history if they are to reach the quarter-finals.
PSG, the defending European champions after lifting the trophy for the first time last season with a commanding 5-0 victory over Inter Milan in the 2025 final, showed the resilience that defined their title-winning campaign. Coach Luis Enrique noted his team had kept pushing despite Chelsea’s fightback. “We kept trying to play against a very physical and very good technical team,” he said. “We need to keep going and also rest to prepare for the second leg.” Enrique added that comparisons with last year’s success were inevitable but difficult to match. “There are all the comparisons with last year but it is impossible to be at that level. We are very resilient, I think that is a word which defines our team, and we are very happy.”
The French side will benefit from extra preparation time after their Ligue 1 fixture against Nantes was postponed, while Chelsea must first turn their attention to a Premier League meeting with Newcastle United this weekend before hosting the second leg.
Rosenior described the evening as “very disappointing” overall but took encouragement from the first 70 minutes. “It is a very disappointing result on an evening where for much of the game I was really happy with the performance,” he said. He also accepted the team had “kind of shot ourselves in the foot” but insisted the focus now must be on recovery and response.