With first-leg victories, Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid are in good position to reach the Champions League semifinals.
PSG took advantage of Chelsea’s sloppy defending in a 3-1 win Wednesday night as substitute Javier Pastore scored a brilliant late goal on a solo run. Madrid won 3-0 at home against Borussia Dortmund as Cristiano Ronaldo got his record-tying 14th goal of this season’s competition.
Ezequiel Lavezzi put the hosts ahead in the fourth minute following a poor headed clearance by Chelsea captain John Terry. Eden Hazard’s penalty kick tied the score in the 27th after Thiago Silva pulled down Oscar, but PSG went back in front in the 61st when Lavezzi’s free kick from a flank ricocheted off David Luiz’s shin and into the net.
“When the games are tight and when you make the defensive mistakes, you are in trouble,” Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho said. “We couldn’t transform these half-chances into goals and on top of that we made defensive mistakes, the kind of individual defensive mistakes, and we paid the price.”
Pastore scored in injury time, gathering the ball on a wing, cutting inside, maneuvering through the penalty area and beating goalkeeper Petr Cech with a low shot.
“It’s not a goal, it’s a joke,” said Mourinho, who also criticized his forwards. “It’s difficult for us to score goals. I’m not happy with my strikers’ performances and I have to try things.”
PSG has not reached the semifinals since 1995. Paris star forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic limped off in the 68th with what appeared to be a hamstring injury.
“He wanted to carry on but it wasn’t sensible,” PSG coach Laurent Blanc said. “He will probably be out for a while.”
Chelsea and PSG fans fought in a city center street about two hours before kickoff. The conflict involved around 100 people from each side, indicating that it was most likely prearranged, PSG security director Jean-Philippe d’Halliville told the Associated Press.
In Madrid, Ronaldo scored his 45th goal overall this season in the 57th minute, then left in the 80th with what appeared to be a leg injury.
Playing in his 100th Champions League game, Ronaldo scored when he took a pass from Luka Modric and rounded goalkeeper Roman Weidenfeller.
Ronaldo matched the Champion Clubs’ Cup/Champions League mark shared by AC Milan’s Jose Altafini (1962-63) and Barcelona’s Lionel Messi (2011-12). (AP)
Jeonbuk beats Guangzhou 1-0
Leonardo scored the lone goal as South Korean club Jeonbuk Motors beat China’s Guangzhou Evergrande 1-0 in the Asian Champions League.
Leonardo converted a pass from Lee Ju-sang in the 76th minute as the host handed the defending champion its first loss of the tournament.
Jeonbuk and Guangzhou have seven points from four matches in Group G but Evergrande leads on goal difference.
Also in Group G, Yokohama F Marinos beat Melbourne Victory 3-2 at home for its first win. Shingo Hyodo scored in the final minute of regulation to give Yokohama a 3-1 lead before James Jeggo pulled one back in the first minute of stoppage time before time ran out.
James Troisi scored for Melbourne in the seventh minute but Sho Ito and Kosuke Nakamichi erased the deficit with first-half goals.
South Korean side Pohang Steelers stayed undefeated and moved into first place in Group E with a 4-2 win over Chinese host Shandong Luneng.
Three second-half goals allowed Steelers to seal the win and improve to eight points, three ahead of Shandong.
In Thailand, Japanese club Cerezo Osaka earned a point in a 2-2 draw with Buriram United in Group E’s other game. (AP)
