As always, we’d love to hear your thoughts on the game. E-mail paul@thescore.ie, tweet @thescore_ie, post a message to our Facebook wall, or leave a comment below.
You may need to refresh the page for YouTube videos and other elements to display correctly.
Hello, and welcome to our live coverage of this Champions League first-leg encounter.
We’ll have team news for you shortly.
Gary Lineker is excited…
The teams are out…
PSG: Sirigu; van der Wiel, Silva, Marquinhos, Maxwell, David Luiz, Verratti, Matuidi, Lavezzi, Ibrahimovic, Cavani.
Chelsea: Courtois, Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry, Azpilicueta, Ramires, Matic, Willian, Fabregas, Hazard; Diego Costa.
Keano is back on punditry duty tonight. Here are his thoughts on David Luiz starting in midfield…
It’s been a bad start to the evening for Chelsea, as they reportedly crashed the bus outside the Parc des Princes.
We’re underway…
Decent build-up play by PSG, but van der Wiel’s mis-hit cross goes straight out of play.
It’s been a cautious start by Chelsea, in keeping with their somewhat defensive-looking starting XI.
Cheslea are coming into the game more now.
They pass the ball about patiently, until Cavani eventually out-muscles Willian and allows the ball to go straight out of play for a goal kick.
It’s been a very calm and conservative opening few minutes.
At the moment, it looks unlikely that the tie will be decided tonight.
PSG seriously threaten for the first time.
Courtois saves headers from Matuidi and Ibrahimovic in quick succession, after Hazard conceded possession and allowed the hosts to launch an attack.
They game has reverted back to a somewhat scrappy and fairly uneventful contest following those two sudden PSG chances.
It could do with a goal to enliven proceedings.
Ibrahimovic attempts an audacious shot but it cannons off Ramires harmlessly.
It’s been a quiet enough evening so far — that one header aside — for the Swedish superstar.
David Beckham and Sir Alex Ferguson are among those in attendance tonight.
PSG break quickly, but Maxwell’s cross is easily collected by Courtois.
They weren’t exactly potent there, nonetheless Chelsea need to wary of the hosts’ pacey counter-attack.
Clever through ball from Verratti to Van der Wiel, but the full-back’s cross is easily intercepted by Cahill.
PSG have been a little disappointing in the final third thus far.
A Fabregas free kick is strongly punched away by Sirigu.
The Spaniard has been dropping deeper to get the ball and Chelsea are benefiting as a result.
Jose Mourinho will presumably be reasonably happy with how the game has panned out so far — one or two half chances aside, Chelsea have rarely been troubled and look quite comfortable.
PSG break but again the cross — this time from Lavezzi — is disappointing.
Shortly thereafter, Cavani’s header from a corner is well saved by Courtois.
GOAL FOR CHELSEA!
Cheslea 1-0 PSG
Ivanovic heads home to give Chelsea the lead, after Cahill’s flick-on from John Terry’s cross.
It’s just the Londoners’ second attempt on goal.
Clumsy foul by Matic on Verratti gives PSG a free kick just outside the box.
Ibrahimovic fails to trouble Courtois with the ensuing effort, firing over the bar.
HALF-TIME: PSG 0-1 CHELSEA
So it’s half-time in what has been a cagey affair.
It’s been a classic away performance from Chelsea. Jose Mourinho’s side have looked solid at the back and made PSG look fairly ordinary in attack, while they took their chance at the other end when it arrived.
PSG need to enhance their attacking efforts in the second half, but must be wary of being caught on the break by a Chelsea side who have developed a habit of ruthlessness over the course of the season.
The second half is underway…
In case you were wondering…
It’s been a noticeably cautious start to the half by Chelsea once again.
PSG are still struggling to break the visitors down though — Thiago Silva finds Ibrahimovic with a long ball, but his downward header is easily cleared.
PSG are showing signs of frustration.
Van der Wiel gets the first booking of the night, following a rash challenge from behind on Eden Hazard.
GOAL FOR PSG!
PSG 1-1 Chelsea
Out of nowhere, PSG equalise thanks to a perfectly executed header by an unmarked Cavani.
It was impressive, patient build-up play, culminating in an inch-perfect cross by Matuidi and a well-placed header by the Uruguayan international.
Game on!
There’s a real intensity to the play for the first time this evening, and the home crowd have responded accordingly.
Great chance for PSG!
Ibrahimovic weaves his way through the visitors’ defence for the first time this evening. The Swede’s shot is saved, while the follow-up by Lavezzi is blocked by Azpilicueta.
It’s the first time in the game that the hosts have been truly dominant.
In tonight’s other game, it’s still Bayern 0-0 Shakhtar, but Xabi Alonso has been sent off for a second yellow.
David Luiz heads just over from a PSG corner.
The French side definitely have the upperhand at the moment, while Chelsea would probably take a 1-1 draw right now.
PSG continue to dominate possession and territory, but their play in the final third continues to let them down.
That said, Chelsea are taking a risk by defending deeper and deeper as the half progresses.
Still no sign of a PSG breakthrough despite the hosts comfortably enjoying the majority of the possession.
Chelsea look to have weathered the storm for now.
Safe to say, it was pretty poor marking by Chelsea for the PSG goal.
Whoops!
We couldn't find this Tweet
Meanwhile, Juan Cuadrado has come on for Willian, with the Colombian international making his Champions League debut.
Bad miss from Cavani.
He bursts through the Chelsea defence before putting a shot just wide.
Could that be their big chance?
More substitutions…
Loic Remy replaces the ineffectual Costa for Chelsea, while for PSG, Pastore — who scored the winner in the first-leg quarter-final between the sides last year — replaces Lavezzi.
A noticeably defensive change by Chelsea this time — Fabregas is replaced by Oscar.
You get the sense Mourinho and Chelsea are doing everything they can to kill the game.
Lavezzi attempts a bicycle kick but misses the ball completely.
You get the sense now that it’s not going to be PSG’s night, which is bad news for their fans, especially when you consider Chelsea’s formidable recent record at Stamford Bridge.
Promising run from Pastore before he is expertly tackled by Matic.
The Argentine player has provided PSG with a bit of a spark since coming on.
A ball is lumped into the box but Courtois gets down well to save Ibrahimovic’s header.
That looks like being PSG’s last chance.
FULL-TIME: PSG 1-1 CHELSEA
So full-time, and that’s that.
PSG improved in the second half and definitely deserved at least a draw.
That said, Chelsea will be the happier of the two teams, and will be confident of progressing at Stamford Bridge in the second leg, particularly on account of their superb home record this season.
PSG will perhaps feel they were below-par in attack, with Ibrahimovic in particular having a conspicuously quiet evening for the most part.
Right, that’s all from me for now, but we’ll have more reaction to follow.
Thanks for reading and commenting.
