Paris Saint-Germain’s 5-2 victory over Chelsea in the first leg of their Champions League Round of 16 tie on Wednesday felt less like a dominant performance and more like a temporary reprieve. The players were physically spent, but a rare sense of elation permeated the Parc des Princes, a feeling largely absent throughout what has been a challenging season.
The defending champions finished a disappointing eleventh in the league phase of the competition. Their passage through the play-offs against AS Monaco was also narrow, facing a team that played with a man down for the entire second half of both legs. This context underscores the fragility of PSG’s current form, despite the convincing first-leg result.
A palpable tension hung over Paris before kickoff. But 90 minutes later, Luis Enrique’s side delivered a statement, fueled by three late goals. “We’ve shown that people shouldn’t write us off yet,” said Ousmane Dembélé, the 2025 Ballon d’Or winner, in the Parc des Princes’ catacombs after the match.
However, beneath the spectacular victory lie several unanswered questions. While PSG’s attack continues to impress, the defense remains unstable. Since February 13th, PSG has conceded twelve goals in seven competitive matches – a concerning statistic for a team aiming to successfully defend its title in Europe’s most prestigious competition.
Hakimi Struggles to Rediscover His Form
Chelsea’s two goals highlighted existing weaknesses in the PSG defense. “We are a team that plays remarkably offensively. When you play like that, you can concede goals,” captain Marquinhos stated succinctly. “Nevertheless, we remain very solid, even if we sometimes allow too much. The most important thing is that we win and go into the second leg with this comfortable advantage.”
The performance of Achraf Hakimi is also a source of concern for Enrique. The Moroccan right-back delivered a decent performance, contributing an assist and several impactful runs. However, he appeared physically below his best. The match reignited debate about his current form. Since a disappointing loss in the Africa Cup of Nations final with Morocco, the former Borussia Dortmund player has struggled to recapture his previous level of performance.
Should Paris progress further in Europe and face teams like Liverpool or Bayern Munich, they will need a Hakimi who is dominant on both sides of the pitch and as goal-threating as he was last season, when he scored in the quarter-final against Aston Villa, the semi-final against Arsenal, and the final against Inter Milan.
The goalkeeping position has been a source of instability since Gianluigi Donnarumma’s departure to Manchester City. New signing Lucas Chevalier from OSC Lille failed to seize his opportunity and was replaced by Matvei Safonov after several errors. However, Safonov hasn’t established himself as a world-class goalkeeper either.
“PSG Completely Missed a Trick”
The decision by club officials last summer to refrain from strengthening the squad, instead placing their faith in the same players as the previous season, could prove to be a critical error. An early exit in the French Cup could be followed by another disappointment in Ligue 1, where they are engaged in an unexpected title race with RC Lens.
“It’s not an easy season for PSG. The team doesn’t seem fit or hungry enough to me,” said former French international Christophe Dugarry, now an expert with RMC Sport radio. “Of course, you’ll be hunted more as the defending champions, and you should consistently strengthen your squad, which PSG completely missed.”
Luis Enrique still appears to have a firm grip on his team. The short-term European future of the club will depend on whether he can restore his team to the level of their strong finish last season, becoming the first team since AC Milan (1988–1990) to successfully defend their Champions League title without being Real Madrid.
Even the French league association seems invested in PSG’s success: at the end of February, it announced that the originally scheduled league game between Paris and Nantes was postponed to allow PSG to “prepare as well as possible” for the return leg this Tuesday (9:00 PM CET/3:00 PM EST) in London, as covered in the F.A.Z. Champions League liveticker and on DAZN.
The second leg at Stamford Bridge promises to be a tense affair. Chelsea will need to overcome a three-goal deficit, and PSG will be looking to protect their advantage and secure their place in the quarter-finals. The outcome will undoubtedly shape the narrative of both clubs’ seasons.
