Champions League: Mourinho admits Chelsea were lucky to draw

The 1-1 draw in Paris was flattering on the visitors, admits the Portuguese

PARIS/LVIV: Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho admitted his side was fortunate to come away with a draw in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie with Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday as he hailed goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.

PSG had the better of the game but only had a second-half Edinson Cavani goal to show for their efforts, with Courtois producing around half a dozen vital saves to help Chelsea claim a 1-1 draw in the French capital.

As a result, Branislav Ivanovic's precious away goal in the first half — from Chelsea's only chance of the game — gives the Premier League leaders the upper hand going into the second leg at Stamford Bridge on March 11.

"I think the first half was our half,” said Mourinho. “Paris gave us the ball, played defensively with a very low block. They never put pressure on us and we were very comfortable, moving the ball, letting the clock tick and never having problems to control the game.”

However, the Portuguese conceded that that all changed after the break. “The second half was different,” he admitted. “They were very direct and it was their half. I think 1-1 reflects one half for Chelsea, one half for Paris, but if you go to chances created and the goalkeepers' performances we have to be honest and say they had more than us, so if somebody was closer to winning the game, it was Paris not Chelsea.”

Mourinho also refuted the notion that Chelsea are taking a significant advantage into the second leg. "The advantage is minimal,” he said. “Now everything is decided at the Stamford Bridge and not in two matches. They are a fantastic team and we did ok."

The Chelsea coach also praised Blues’ goal-scorer Ivanovic and hailed his exploits in the important matches. "Ivanovic has this feeling in big occasions. It looks like he chooses his moments, to win against Liverpool [in the League Cup semi-final], to score here, in the Europa League final [against Benfica in 2013]. He chooses the right moment to do it."

With time to prepare for the second leg, Chelsea's next game is against Burnley in the Premier League on Saturday, when Mourinho may decide to rotate his squad after admitting that several players had not trained in the build-up to the Paris clash.

PSG coach Laurent Blanc was himself missing several players due to injury but was pleased with the performance of David Luiz in a holding midfield role against his old club and with the overall display of his team, despite the result. "The score is not favourable to us, but I'm very happy with my team,” he said. “There are lots of very satisfying things but the score is what counts at the end so the return match will be complicated."

Like Mourinho, Blanc also said that Chelsea have the upper hand but that the tie is not yet over. "Chelsea have a slight advantage, especially because they are at home,” he said. "With our attacking qualities we are capable of scoring practically anywhere in Europe. We didn't do it last year but have to this time."

 

Munich left to rue chances

After a dominant yet frustrating performance, Bayern Munich were left ruing their profligacy as they were held to a 0-0 draw at Shakhtar Donetsk despite clearly having the upper hand.

“We have to win in Munich. Nothing else will do," said Bayern’s Dutch winger Arjen Robben. "We had a good first half and we had our chances.”

Coach Pep Guardiola, looking to win the Champions League in his second season at Bayern, also conceded his team was not lethal enough and would need to work harder in the return leg in Munich next month. "We played for a long time with 10 men and that was difficult," said the Spaniard regarding the sending off of compatriot Xabi Alonso.

 

Like Sports on Facebook, follow @ETribuneSports on Twitter to stay informed and join in the conversation.