Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea faced off this Tuesday at Stamford Bridge in the second leg of their 2025-2026 Champions League Round of 16 tie (second leg on March 17). The match ended in a 3-0 victory for PSG (8-2 aggregate score, quarter-final to be played against Liverpool or Galatasaray). After the match, Chelsea manager Liam Rosenior spoke at a press conference.
Rosenior: “They deserve to go through.”
You said we needed a perfect match, but that wasn’t possible?
After just six minutes, we made another mistake and that took the wind out of our sails. Then we conceded another goal from a superb strike. When you concede those goals, it becomes a very difficult evening. We wanted to fight harder than that. We have to congratulate PSG. Their possession game was excellent; they deserve to go through.
Do we need to bounce back for the end of the season?
Yes, we do. That’s my job. We have to be resilient, go to Everton organized and fresh. We want to be in this competition next year. If we perform as well as I know we can, we can do it. Without individual errors.
Rosenior: “We have to get back on track, by eliminating mistakes.”
Did the changes show an acceptance of elimination?
I think that’s the reality of the group. They’ve played over 100 matches in just over a year. There hasn’t been a break. That’s not an excuse; it comes from the Club World Cup run, and that was a great success. But we’re seeing it with several players. We have to manage the minutes when injuries happen quickly.
We’re still fighting for competitions. We might have to make some tough decisions, which don’t necessarily seem ideal at the time, but we have to do what’s best for the team. We never want to take out our best players.
Is the confidence affected?
Of course, that’s football. Moments can change everything. We were 2-2 in Paris, but we weren’t paying attention. We have to get back on track, eliminating the mistakes. We talk about it a lot. We have to go into the Everton match with a positive mentality.
Rosenior: “We also have to be clinical.”
Are you worried about not seeing Chelsea in the Round of 16 for a while?
No, not at all. It’s a fantastic competition that Chelsea deserves to be in. My job is to make sure we’re there and that we’re fighting for trophies.
A lesson learned with the group?
What I’m learning is that you need players you can rely on at any time. You also have to be clinical, which is what PSG has been in both matches.
Rosenior: “We make mistakes.”
Angry fans?
It’s a fantastic club, the fans want results and I understand that. They’re frustrated, they want us to win. I knew that when I came. I want to give them some great matches.
What’s the big difference between PSG and Chelsea?
If it’s about moments, momentum. If we give things away, it’s complicated. We were in a good position and we made mistakes. That pushes players like Barcola and Kvaratskhelia, who know how to take advantage of it.
