Paris Saint-Germain was held to a frustrating 1-1 draw by Chelsea in the French capital, while Bayern Munich finished goalless in Ukraine with Shakhtar Donetsk.
PSG will be the most annoyed — Laurent Blanc’s side had chance after chance to win the tie and put a dent in Chelsea’s Champions League hopes.
In the end, Edinson Cavani’s strike ensured parity after Branislav Ivanovic, the Serbia defender, had given the visitors a first half lead.
Two closely-fought first legs… Advantage Chelsea and Bayern? #UCL pic.twitter.com/mjDy2VoIgp
It could have been so different for the home side had it not been for Thibaut Courtois, the Chelsea goalkeeper.
Courtois denied PSG time and time again, much to delight of his manager, Jose Mourino.
“We could have lost, so I think the result is a positive one,” Mourinho told ITV.
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FULL TIME: It's finished goalless between @FCShakhtar_eng & #FCBayern. #FCSDFCB pic.twitter.com/b9T07LPN4a
In the night’s other game, Bayern Munich was held to a goalless draw by Shakhtar Donetsk in Lviv.
It was a frustrating night for the 2013 winner which had Xabi Alonso sent off in the second half.
The Spanish midfielder, who was celebrating the occasion of his 100th appearance in the competition, was dismissed with 25 minutes remaining after picking up a second yellow card.
Shakhtar, which is forced to play its Champions League home games over 1,200 kilometers away from its home stadium because of the ongoing conflict in the region, had not played a competitive fixture since December following the winter break.
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