Khvicha Kvaratskhelia scored twice and assisted another late on as Paris Saint-Germain’s 5-2 win over Chelsea left them in control of their Champions League last-16 tie.
Liam Rosenior’s side will have to overturn a three-goal deficit in Tuesday’s return meeting at Stamford Bridge, after substitute Kvaratskhelia stole the show off the bench at Parc des Princes.
Joao Pedro missed a fourth-minute chance from Reece James’ cross, but PSG hit the front six minutes later when Joao Neves nodded down Ousmane Dembele’s cross for Bradley Barcola, who thumped a half-volley into the roof of the net from near the penalty spot.
Dembele then rattled the woodwork with the help of a Filip Jorgensen fingertip before Chelsea hit back when Enzo Fernandez found Malo Gusto to sneak a low drive under the reach of Matvey Safonov 28 minutes in.
Cole Palmer forced a smart Safonov stop before the break, only for PSG to race away on the counter-attack as Desire Doue released Dembele to fire into the bottom-left corner after beating Wesley Fofana.
Chelsea restored parity again in the 57th minute when Pedro Neto stormed down the left and squared for Fernandez to steer home, but a needless Jorgensen error then handed possession to Kvaratskhelia via Barcola’s interception, with Vitinha on hand to coolly lob the stranded Chelsea goalkeeper in the 74th minute.
Joao Pedro’s finish was ruled out for offside soon after, before Kvaratskhelia first danced inside and hammered into the top-right corner, and then swept home Achraf Hakimi’s cutback in stoppage time to seal the victory.
We take the first leg!
THIS IS PARIS! #PSGCHE #UCL pic.twitter.com/GFMIBf0ac0
— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) March 11, 2026
Data Debrief: Young PSG stars deliver
Barcola’s opener marked his first Champions League goal since February 2025 against Brest, ending a run of 17 appearances without scoring in UEFA’s flagship competition, before Kvaratskhelia took centre stage.
The Georgian has been directly involved in five goals (three goals, two assists) in his last five games in the Champions League, netting in both his substitute appearances in the competition this season.
Doue has also been directly involved in four goals (two goals, two assists) in his last three Champions League games, either scoring or assisting in three consecutive games in the competition for the first time.
Fernandez had earlier almost single-handedly dragged Chelsea to parity, scoring and assisting in a Champions League game for the first time.
But the Blues ultimately walked away with nothing in the French capital, despite accumulating 1.53 expected goals (xG) to PSG’s 0.87.