Reece James admitted that the team's performance in the game was unsatisfactory, and they will do their best to win in the second leg.

2026-03-12 02:37

Chelsea suffered a disappointing 2-5 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of their Champions League tie. After the match, Chelsea captain Reece James stated in an interview that the game was not over yet. Following a thrilling encounter, Chelsea left the French capital in disappointment.

Chelsea twice fell behind in the match, but equalized through goals from Bradley Barcora and Ousmane Dembélé. Maro Guto and Enzo Fernández also found the net for Chelsea. However, in the final 15 minutes, Paris Saint-Germain took control of the game through goals from Vitinha and a brace from substitute Hevchenko Kvalatschlia. This means Chelsea will face a tough second leg in London next week.

Captain Reece James was deployed in midfield and performed admirably as always. After the match, reflecting on the game, he said that it was only halfway through and far from over. He stated, "Overall, the first 75 minutes were evenly matched, but we suddenly lost our advantage in the last 15 minutes. It's disappointing that we couldn't finish the game in the way we wanted."

“This is the Champions League, anything is possible. As the highest level of club football, many teams have come back from behind over the years, sometimes by a larger margin than we are facing now. We need to put this game behind us and look forward. We must respond; we didn't play well in this game, but this is only the first half.”

“There are many things we can learn from this match, and we know we've made things difficult for the second leg. But the game is far from over. This is a Champions League match, the highest level of club football, and it's a two-legged affair. We need to pick ourselves up and be ready. I want to especially emphasize to Chelsea fans that the game is not over yet; this is only halftime, and we will give it our all in the second leg.”

Image source: Internet/Chelsea official website