This Wednesday, in the first leg of the 2025-2026 Champions League Round of 16 (second leg on March 17), Paris Saint-Germain faced Chelsea at the Parc des Princes. After a match where the Parisians dominated but also made numerous mistakes, they still managed a 5-2 victory. Here are our player ratings for the Parisians.
Goalkeeper –
Matvey Safonov (5) – A mixed bag. A first half that suggests he can make a big difference, but he’s sometimes vulnerable with lapses in concentration. He could do nothing about Chelsea’s second goal. What’s interesting is that he’s a very active and reactive goalkeeper. He’s involved in the game.
Defenders –
Achraf Hakimi (6) – We haven’t quite seen the Achraf Hakimi of last year, but he’s gradually getting back to his best. He had a good second half, full of energy. His assist at the end shows he’s improving steadily.
Marquinhos (5) – He seems a bit lacking physically; he needs to anticipate better, as he’s increasingly struggling with his pace. He didn’t seem very composed throughout the match. He compensated with his vast experience.
Willian Pacho (7.5) – A strong first half for him. He kept Joao Pedro quiet. He needs to be careful with his distribution. He hardly lost any duels. We knew he was struggling a bit, and he responded on the pitch.
Nuno Mendes (3) – He rarely ventured forward, made a big mistake on Chelsea’s goal, and is really inconsistent, sometimes brilliant, sometimes too casual. A second mistake on Chelsea’s second goal and his performance becomes quite worrying.
Midfielders –
Joao Neves (7) – He marked Cold Palmer man-to-man. This caused Chelsea a lot of problems, but it sometimes backfired. When he lost his interceptions, an opportunity was created for Chelsea. A great match from him, constantly pressing the opposition, with considerable success.
Vitinha (7) – He controlled the game, but nothing truly “brilliant” came from him. He’s still missing that magic pass. His first half was nonetheless very decent. He scored a very nice goal, showing great composure. He was one of PSG’s pillars in this match, as is often the case in big games.
Warren Zaïre-Emery (4) – He’s very strong in duels, but sometimes lacks a bit of concentration. He also needs to take more risks going forward. A fairly average match from him. Replaced by Senny Mayulu in the 77th minute.
Forwards –
Désiré Doué (4) – An encouraging first half. The second goal came from him. He still lacks a bit of energy and confidence. An error on Chelsea’s second goal will only fuel the questions surrounding his current form. Substituted in the 62nd minute by Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.
Ousmane Dembélé (6) – A goalscorer, he relentlessly pressed and drifted inside, a constant threat to Chelsea in the first half. A good return for him, and he did a solid job. Substituted in the 68th minute by Lee Kang-in.
Bradley Barcola (6.5) – Finally scoring in the Champions League, he did his job cleanly, with desire and determination. He won the ball back for the third goal. He was caught out several times by lunging at the goalkeeper during pressing, but he read the game well. Substituted in the 77th minute by Lucas Hernandez.
Coach –
Luis Enrique (7) – He managed to inject some energy back into his team at times. But defensive issues are still evident, which poses a real problem in these high-level matches. Of course, he can’t be entirely blamed for his players’ glaring technical errors, such as poor positioning or poorly executed long balls down the middle. Nevertheless, it’s fair to say that he’s succeeded where many coaches in Paris have failed: winning difficult matches.
