Chelsea blink in face of challenge found in Paris

In the Uefa Champions League, as in the Premier League, Chelsea are making life difficult for themselves. Jose Mourinho and company met their match on Wednesday night in a Paris Saint-Germain side who reeled off a 10th successive victory.

Petr Cech, left, and Cesar Azpilicueta, right, look on in disbelief and anger after David Luiz, centre, scores an own goal to give PSG on April 2, 2014 in Paris. Shaun Botterill / Getty Images

PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN 3 CHELSEA 1

PSG - Lavezzi 4', Luiz (og) 61', Pastore 90'+4

Chelsea - Hazard (pen) 27'

Man of the Match - Ezequiel Lavezzi (PSG)

PARIS // In the Uefa Champions League, as in the English Premier League, Chelsea are making life difficult for themselves.

A third consecutive away defeat, like their domestic setbacks, is not a terminal blow to their hopes but the path to glory is paved with increasingly large obstacles.

Chelsea met their match on Wednesday night in a Paris Saint-Germain side who reeled off a 10th successive victory.

The irrepressible Ezequiel Lavezzi set them on their way and the substitute Javier Pastore scored the third, either side of the moment when David Luiz, scored at the wrong end to rather sum up Chelsea’s recent loss of direction.

So it is “advantage PSG”.

While Jose Mourinho is a specialist at this stage of the Champions League – on each of the seven previous times he has steered a side to the last eight, they have progressed to the semi-finals – there is plenty of work to do if he is to maintain that excellent record, especially after a flash of skill from Pastore and a low shot to beat Petr Cech at his near post deep into added time.

Perhaps it is worth remembering that Chelsea recovered from similarly unpromising positions on their inspired, implausible Champions League-winning campaign two years ago, but the odds are now against them.

They were in early trouble.

Chelsea were condemned to defeat at Crystal Palace on Saturday because of a left-wing cross and a misplaced header from John Terry and, if not quite a case of deja vu, there were certain unfortunate similarities when Paris struck first.

Blaise Matuidi centred and, while the Chelsea captain contrived this time to direct his header away from his own goal, he did no better than locate Lavezzi, who rifled a rising half-volley past Cech.

Indeed, if the Argentine is overshadowed by the higher-profile members of the Paris forward line, his direct style made him the major threat to the Chelsea goal.

Picked out by Zlatan Ibrahimovic, with a delightful through ball, he sped past Gary Cahill and drilled a shot into the side netting.

When Matuidi crossed for a second time, Lavezzi’s header flew just over Cech’s bar.

Lavezzi was also the instigator of PSG’s second goal.

His in-swinging free kick created chaos in the Chelsea defence and David Luiz inadvertently shinned it past Cech.

Another own goal, another unwanted echo of Palace.

In between, Chelsea had levelled. Despite Lavezzi’s menace, the French champions had failed to build on their early lead and, following their dreadful start, Mourinho’s men recovered.

Nonetheless, their equaliser was a gift, a penalty conceded by one Brazilian, Thiago Silva, for fouling another, Oscar.

The PSG captain slid in rashly and Eden Hazard sent the goalkeeper Salvatore Sirigu the wrong way.

The Belgian was inches from scoring a second, volleying Willian’s low cross against the base of the post.

So it amounted to a mixed night for Chelsea’s Brazilian contingent. Oscar and Willian made positive contributions but David Luiz put PSG ahead and Ramires collected the caution that will rule him out of next week’s second leg.

It reduces Chelsea’s options in a midfield already without the cup-tied Nemanja Matic.

Their problems could have been compounded with Ramires risking a second booking long before the final whistle with some ill-advised challenges.

Instead, the man to make an early departure was Ibrahimovic, seemingly with a hamstring problem that ought to rule him out of Tuesday’s meeting at Stamford Bridge.

Perhaps it will be the stroke of luck Chelsea need.

Perhaps Paris’s two-goal advantage means he will not be required in London and his long wait to win the Champions League could end in May.

The Swede left Inter Milan the year before Mourinho’s team triumphed. Now Mourinho’s mantra is that he does not have a striker.

On this occasion, it was literally true, albeit because he chose to leave Fernando Torres and Demba Ba on the bench.

The winger Andre Schurrle, who started alone in attack at Old Trafford in August, reprised that role, once again to negligible effect.

Before an hour had elapsed, Mourinho had turned back to Torres.

It highlighted the difference between the two teams: how Mourinho covets a finisher of the class of Edinson Cavani or Ibrahimovic. How he now needs to find a match-winner next week.

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