Laurent Blanc noted that Argentina international Ezequiel Lavezzi is hitting top form at precisely the right time following Paris Saint-Germain’s 3-1 winagainst Chelsea in the first-leg of the UEFA Champions League quarterfinal first leg in Paris on Wednesday. The Argentine, who has struggled since moving to the Parc des Princes from Napoli in 2012,scored PSG’s first goal, made its second, and looked dangerous all night in a man-of-the-match performance.
“[Lavezzi has] reached a level of fitness that allows him to make forays intothe defence,” Blanc told reporters in his post-game press conference. “He brings depth and speed. And now he scores goals. He was our best man.”
It was also one of the few times this seasonwhen PSG did not need star striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic to lead it to victory. In fact, the big Swede was substituted midway through the second half with a thigh injury, leaving himdoubtful for the return-leg at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday.
Though PSG is now the overwhelming favorite to qualify for the semifinal, club president Nasser al-Khelaifi, who hasspent more than 200 million euros on transfers in the past two seasons, isn’t taking anything for granted: “We beat a great European team but we’re just at halftime,” the Qatari noted.