Kvaratskhelia, Barcola, and Mayulu fire Paris Saint-Germain into last eight with 8-2 aggregate win.
Paris Saint-Germain booked their place in the Champions League quarter-finals with a commanding 3-0 win over Chelsea FC at Stamford Bridge, completing an 8-2 aggregate triumph.
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia opened the scoring early, outmuscling Chelsea’s Mamadou Sarr on a misjudged defensive play before beating Robert Sanchez in goal. Bradley Barcola added a second with a superb strike following a pass from Achraf Hakimi, effectively ending any hope of a comeback from the Blues. Substitute Senny Mayulu sealed the win in the second half with a lethal first-time finish after Kvaratskhelia’s cross found him.
The victory sets PSG up for a quarter-final clash against either Liverpool FC or Galatasaray, with the Turkish side holding a 1-0 first-leg advantage at Anfield.
PSG’s win also offers revenge for last July’s Club World Cup final defeat to Chelsea and demonstrates the French champions are finding peak form at the perfect moment. This marks their fourth knockout tie win over Premier League opposition since the start of last year.
Chelsea struggled to match PSG’s intensity, having already collapsed 5-2 in the first leg at the Parc des Princes. Robert Sanchez started in goal again after a previous error in Paris, but the Spaniard was powerless to stop PSG’s clinical attacking trio.
The match turned even more miserable for the Blues when Trevoh Chalobah was stretchered off late, leaving Chelsea to finish with ten men after exhausting their substitutes.
PSG dominated from the start, taking the lead within six minutes. Kvaratskhelia’s opening goal, Barcola’s top-corner strike, and Mayulu’s finishing display underlined the gulf in quality and ensured the holders march confidently into the last eight of Europe’s premier competition.
