Sports
PSG are Champions League faves, and win vs. Chelsea shows why
PARIS — Like it or not, Paris Saint-Germain are still the team to beat in the Champions League. Why? The reigning champions can reach levels that the rest can only dream of, and PSG simply blew Chelsea away when they slipped through the gears.
This has been a season of inconsistency and ups-and-downs for PSG, but the side that won the Champions League in such devastating form last season has apparently been lying in wait at Parc des Princes, ready to reawaken. And that moment came as this round-of-16 first-leg tie approached its final fifteen minutes in Paris.
Chelsea had fought back twice to make it 2-2 on the night and the Premier League side threatened to turn the game on its head and take the lead ahead of next Tuesday’s second-leg at Stamford Bridge. But then it happened.
A mistake by goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen — surprisingly selected ahead of first-choice Robert Sánchez — gifted the ball to Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and it ended up with Vitinha, who lofted the ball over Jorgensen to make it 3-2. For Chelsea, it marked their third error leading to goal in the Champions League this season — only on-the-verge-of-relegation Tottenham has more among Premier League teams with six.
From that point onwards, PSG — and especially substitute Kvaratskhelia — were unstoppable. They were ruthless, and a game that was drifting towards a draw — or even a Chelsea win — ended with PSG claiming a 5-2 victory.
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Now, PSG are overwhelming favourites to comfortably reach the quarterfinals. Last season, a similar spark propelled PSG to Champions League glory. In January 2025, PSG fell 2-0 behind at home to Manchester City, who scored twice shortly after the start of the second-half, and the French side were heading out of the competition in the League Phase. But by the end of that game, PSG had won 4-2 and it transformed their season. They never looked back.
Chelsea certainly didn’t help themselves. PSG scored five goals from an expected goals of just 0.87 — that +4.13 goal-above-expected is the second highest in a Champions League knockout match in 15 years. The error that allowed PSG to score the go-ahead goal was a big culprit.
But in the end, Chelsea were the victims of another PSG surge, and it was the home side’s breathless performance in the final 15 minutes that will send put the rest of Europe on notice.
“The last 15-20 minutes were crazy, but that’s on me,” Chelsea coach Liam Rosenior said. “We need to better when setbacks happen, be calm and collected, and that didn’t happen.
“It’s a painful one because we were in the tie for 75 minutes. We have shot ourselves in the foot, made the tie very difficult now and the fifth goal is the painful one.”
PSG simply have incredible attacking talent and it all clicked against Chelsea, starting with Bradley Barcola and Ousmane Dembélé‘s first-half goals — Dembele’s counter-attack goal was a stunning example of the pace PSG possess.
Chelsea were able to expose PSG’s defensive frailties, equalising twice through Malo Gusto and Enzo Fernández, but Enrique’s forwards are so potent that they are able to make up for the lapses at the back that have affected the team all season.
Will those issues cost them a back-to-back Champions League title? That’s the risk, especially after the inexplicable decision to offload Gianluigi Donnarumma to City in the summer following the signing of Lucas Chevalier.
Chevalier has had a difficult first season in Paris and he was on the bench again, overlooked in favour of the inconsistent Matvey Safonov, who should have saved Gusto’s goal.
Perhaps PSG can ride it out all the way to another final simply because they have so much firepower upfront, but they will have to repeat the form that overran Chelsea to ensure that their defensive problems don’t prove to be their downfall.
If Kvaratskhelia can continue to play as he did in the final 15 minutes, PSG will be too strong for every other team left in the competition.
The Georgia winger made it 4-2 with a powerful curling shot from 20 yards on 86 minutes and then put the game seemingly beyond Chelsea’s reach with another, deep into stoppage time.
But even before he started scoring, the former Napoli player destroyed Chelsea’s right flank and it was clear that he was burning with determination to make a point to Enrique for starting him on the bench in the first place.
When Kvaratskhelia hit PSG’s fifth, the Chelsea players slumped to the ground like a boxer that had taken too many blows.
“I think we showed today we are capable of everything,” Kvaratskhelia said. “We just have to continue like this. We conceded two goals and we can see the mistakes we made, but we are happy with a three goal victory. We are still PSG.”
Chelsea still have 90 minutes to turn the tie around next week, but they will know that PSG are more likely to pick them off on the counter-attack whenever they attempt to find the three goals needed to wipe out their deficit.
This was a brutal lesson for Chelsea. They looked like a team that could compete for 70 minutes, but then they encountered the European champions at the top of their game.
That PSG were able to just turn it on and dismantle a Premier League side as strong as Chelsea — a team that was able to beat PSG in the FIFA Club World Cup final last summer — underlined the power and quality that Enrique has at his disposal.
Yes, it has been difficult season for PSG, but they have shown their best again and nobody can live with them like this.
- Kingsmen chase title in debut season.
- Zalmi target second PSL crown since 2017.
- Babar leads with record-breaking run tally.
Marnus Labuschagne’s Hyderabad Kingsmen are set to face Babar Azam’s Peshawar Zalmi in the final of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 11 on Sunday night at the Gaddafi Stadium, which will mark the culmination of the 44-match season of the league.
For the first time in the history of the PSL, a separate reward has been set for the franchises with the winning franchise getting $500,000, runners up will get $300,000, while the franchise with the best player development efforts will bag $200,000. The tournament-winning prize for players will comprise $500,000.
Hyderabad Kingsmen will be looking to conclude their fairytale season with the PSL title, while Peshawar Zalmi are eyeing their second title after 2017. Zalmi were the runners-up for 2018, 2019 and 2021 seasons.
On the back of Babar’s record 588-run tally, Kusal Mendis’ 541 runs and Sufyan Moqim’s 21 wickets, Peshawar Zalmi won eight of their 10 matches in the league stage including a seven-match winning streak.
They outclassed Islamabad United by 70 runs in the Qualifier to secure the ticket for the final.
Express fast bowler Nahid Rana has also rejoined the Peshawar Zalmi squad and will be available for selection.
He picked up seven wickets in four league matches for Zalmi.
Hyderabad Kingsmen began their campaign with three outright losses by 69 runs against Qalandars, by 40 runs versus Gladiators and by six wickets against Sultans.
Their fourth consecutive loss came against Peshawar Zalmi as the two teams played out a last-ball thriller.
Zalmi chased the 146-run target with four wickets in hand.
Kingsmen then won four matches on the trot before falling flat against Islamabad United.
They thumped Rawalpindiz by 108 runs in their last league game to oust defending champions Lahore Qalandars on net run rate.
Kingsmen knocked out Multan Sultans in Eliminator 1 and came from behind to stun Islamabad United by two runs in the Eliminator 2.
At the pre-final captains’ press conference, Babar said: “We have played really good cricket in the tournament. Our focus has been on assessing the conditions first and then executing the plans.”
“The performance of our team this season has been a combined effort of the local and overseas players. We hope to win the trophy by giving our best.”
Labuschagne, the skipper of the Kingsmen said that leading his side has been really exciting and he’s enjoyed every moment.
“There have been certainly ups and downs but I think that’s what makes it so good. [it’s] just another game and we will make sure that we stick to our processes.”
Pakistani mountaineer Sajid Ali Sadpara successfully summited Mount Makalu, the world’s fifth-highest mountain, on Saturday, marking another major achievement in his high-altitude climbing career.
According to details, Sajid reached the summit of Mount Makalu at around 5am. The mountain, located in Nepal, stands at a height of 8,485 metres above sea level.
The successful ascent marked Sajid’s 10th mountain above 8,000 metres, further strengthening his record among Pakistan’s prominent high-altitude mountaineers.
Makalu is located in the Mahalangur Himalayas, 19 km southeast of Mount Everest, on the China–Nepal border. It is considered one of the world’s most challenging peaks because of its steep ridges, difficult terrain and extreme weather conditions faced by climbers during expeditions.
Alpine Club of Pakistan (ACP) congratulated Sajid on his remarkable and successful summit of Mount Makalu (8,485 metres), the fifth-highest mountain in the world.
In a statement, ACP President Maj Gen (retd) Irfan Arshad along with all members of the club, extended heartfelt felicitations to Sajid on achieving the feat, terming it a moment of great pride for the nation.
The statement noted that summiting one of the world’s most technically challenging peaks reflects Sajid’s courage, determination, and exceptional mountaineering skills.
“This outstanding achievement is not only a personal milestone but also a proud moment for the entire Pakistani mountaineering community,” it added.
The ACP President lauded his perseverance and dedication, saying his accomplishment would inspire young climbers across the country and further strengthen Pakistan’s presence on the global mountaineering stage.
ACP Vice President Karrar Haidri also congratulated Sajid on the successful ascent and wished him a safe descent and continued success in his future mountaineering pursuits.
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Clutch doesn’t even begin to describe Toronto Raptors star RJ Barrett’s season-saving shot.
The Raptors, down 3-2 in the series, were trailing the Cleveland Cavaliers 110-109 with 10.9 seconds left in the fourth quarter at the Scotiabank Arena on Friday night.
Barrett inbounded the ball to Scottie Barnes, with the Raptors needing a basket to save their season. Barnes dribbled to the free-throw line and then kicked the ball back to Barrett, who was waiting at the top of the key.
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Toronto Raptors’ RJ Barrett celebrates with fans after a win over the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 6 of the first-round NBA playoffs in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on May 1, 2026. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP)
Barrett launched a 3-pointer, a shot that needed to find the back of the net if the Raptors were to force a Game 7 and extend their season. Instead, Barrett found the back of the rim and the ball bounced nearly seven feet off it.
The ball then came down and fell through the net, giving the Raptors a 112-110 lead with 1.2 seconds left. Evan Mobley had a chance to win it for the Cavaliers, but his 3-pointer bounced off the front of the rim as time expired.
Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic said he felt like Barrett’s shot was in the air for an eternity.
“It was only half a second, but it felt like an eternity,” Rajakovic said. “I was happy for him, for this team, for this city, that the shot went down.”
Barrett said he knew it had a chance to fall because of where the ball landed on the rim.
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Toronto Raptors forward RJ Barrett scored the winning basket against the Cleveland Cavaliers during overtime in game six of the first round of the 2026 NBA playoffs at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto on May 1, 2026. (Nick Turchiaro/Imagn Images)
“I thought it was still good because it went straight up,” Barrett said. “When it goes straight up, you have a chance.”
Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson had a more succinct reaction to Barrett’s season-saving shot.
“Sometimes the basketball gods aren’t with you,” Atkinson said.
The Cavaliers are now looking to turn the page and win Game 7 at home.
“This is why you fight so hard to get home-court advantage,” Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson said. “We knew this wasn’t going to be easy. This is the playoffs, this is what it’s about. We’ve got to recover and get ready for Sunday’s game.”
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Toronto Raptors forward RJ Barrett reacts after scoring the winning basket against the Cleveland Cavaliers in overtime during game six of the first round of the 2026 NBA playoffs at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, on May 1, 2026. (Nick Turchiaro/Imagn Images)
“Protect home court,” Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell said. “It doesn’t matter if we lost by 30 or two, protect home court. That’s all you can do.”
For Raptors fans, the friendly bounce was reminiscent of an even bigger playoff basket north of the border: Kawhi Leonard’s four-bounce, buzzer-beating winner against the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 7 of the 2019 Eastern Conference semifinals.
Raptors fans hope they can get another special memory when the team plays the Cavaliers at 7:30 p.m. ET.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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