Despite playing with 10 men for most of their encounter with Chelsea in the Champions League, a late extra time header by Thiago Silva gave Paris Saint-Germain a second away goal in a dramatic and tense 2-2 draw in Stamford Bridge, and advanced them into the quarterfinals.
For a long stretch of the match, it seemed like Zlatan Ibrahimovic getting sent off by a bad decision from the referee was going to decide the match. An 81st minute goal by Gary Cahill almost sealed the deal, but David Luiz, maybe the most dangerous player for PSG most of the match, equalized with a header, sending the game into extra time with a 1-1 draw.
In extra time, Chelsea finally got the penalty kick they were working so hard to get, and Eden Hazard converted it in the 96th minute. But Chelsea were never really trying to win this match – only not to lose. So they didn’t lose, but they did get knocked out, leaving them without the opportunity to complete a treble.
Thiago Silva, another Brazilian, another centre back, another header. PSG were the more dangerous team in this match despite the numerical inferiority, enjoying a Chelsea team that looked stagnant, lazy and tired. Silva’s 114th minute goal send fans packing early instead of some late, desperate blitz.
Jose Mourinho will go on for another summer of thinking why he didn’t win the Champions League this time. He might be preparing some rant about aggression or the referee but as always, he only has himself and his negative tactics to blame.