Chelsea 2 PSG 0: We deserved to go through, says Jose Mourinho
Chelsea 2 PSG 0: Jose Mourinho says the team that decided to defend was punished as the Blues reached the semis
Jose Mourinho felt Chelsea deserved to reach the Champions League semi-finals after a last-gasp aggregate win against Paris Saint-Germain at Stamford Bridge.
Andre Schurrle was brought on to replace Eden Hazard in the 16th minute and the Chelsea substitute broke the deadlock with a calm finish midway through the first half.
The team that decided to defend was punished. The team that gave everything with its heart deserved to go to the semis
Jose Mourinho
The German and Oscar hit the woodwork after the interval before PSG striker Edinson Cavani wasted the opportunity to score an away goal and end Chelsea’s hopes.
Mourinho threw on Demba Ba and Fernando Torres as the Blues pushed for a crucial second goal, and the former Newcastle man netted the tie’s winner with three minutes remaining.
“We did enough at the beginning of the second half to score before [Ba’s goal] and we couldn’t,” Mourinho told ITV Sport.
“After that, there was a contradiction of what they are and what they wanted to do.
“They played pure counter-attacking game, closing everything, and it was difficult for us to penetrate in the second half of the second half.
“We brought on Fernando Torres and Demba Ba, and we practised that in training. Demba made a crucial finish for us. Very much deserved.”
He added: “The team that decided to defend was punished. The team that gave everything with its heart deserved to go to the semis.”
Mourinho also explained his dash down the touchline after Ba’s strike: “[It was] not to celebrate. [It was] to tell Fernando and Demba the changes we had to do.
“We still had three minutes plus extra time, playing the way we were playing, was too risky.
“I wanted Demba to play in front of defenders and Fernando to defend Maxwell. I tried to use my two fresh players in a difficult job.”
