PSG put five past Chelsea as Havertz penalty rescues Arsenal draw at Leverkusen
PSG run riot at the Parc des Princes
Chelsea were torn apart in Paris. Bradley Barcola opened the scoring after just 10 minutes, and though Malo Gusto pulled one back for the visitors on 28 minutes, Ousmane Dembele restored PSG's lead before half-time with a goal in the 40th minute.
Enzo Fernandez made it 2-2 on 57 minutes and suddenly Chelsea had a foothold. Then PSG blew them away. Vitinha scored on 74 minutes to make it a one-goal lead, and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia added two more in the 86th minute and stoppage time to complete a devastating rout.
Liam Rosenior's side face a near-impossible task in the second leg at Stamford Bridge. Conceding five in a Champions League knockout game is bad enough, but the manner of the collapse in the final 20 minutes will leave the coaching staff searching for answers.
Havertz haunts Leverkusen with late penalty
At the BayArena, Arsenal looked to be heading for defeat until the 89th minute. Robert Andrich had given Leverkusen the lead just 45 seconds into the second half, heading home from an Alejandro Grimaldo corner after a quiet first period in which Gabriel Martinelli's crossbar strike was the closest either side came to scoring.
Arsenal pushed hard for an equalizer but could not find a way through Kasper Hjulmand's well-drilled defence. Then Malik Tillman fouled Noni Madueke inside the box. Havertz, who came through the Leverkusen academy and played four senior seasons there before leaving for Chelsea in 2020 and then joining Arsenal in 2023, stepped up against his former club and sent the penalty low into the corner.
The 1-1 draw gives Arsenal a valuable away goal heading into the second leg at the Emirates on March 17.
Bodo/Glimt's fairy tale continues
The night's other surprise came in Norway, where Bodo/Glimt beat Sporting CP 3-0 at the Aspmyra Stadium. Sondre Brunstad Fet scored from the penalty spot, Ole Didrik Blomberg added a second, and Kasper Hogh completed the scoring as the Norwegian underdogs continued their remarkable debut Champions League campaign. Sporting have it all to do in the return leg in Lisbon.
