Football
Ian Holyman, France correspondent 9y

Thibaut Courtois display impresses PSG striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic

Zlatan Ibrahimovic praised Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois but said Paris Saint-Germain showed their opponents too much respect after Tuesday's Champions League draw.

Ibrahimovic, 33, saw Courtois brilliantly turn aside a header deep in added time at the end of the game to earn Chelsea a 1-1 draw at the Parc des Princes and leave the Premier League leaders firm favourites to progress to the quarterfinals.

The Belgium international's late stop was the last in a string of saves he made to keep PSG at bay after Laurent Blanc's side had dominated the second half.

Ibrahimovic was impressed by the former Atletico Madrid goalkeeper's display, but claimed the French champions had initially not shown the self-belief that may have caused Chelsea still more problems.

"They scored from their only opportunity. We had a lot of chances, but we only scored one," said Ibrahimovic, who saw Edinson Cavani cancel out Branislav Ivanovic's first-half opener early in the second half.

"We played a very good game tactically. At the start, we respected Chelsea a bit too much. Their goalkeeper wasn't good, he was very good. I think the second leg will be really open. We'll see how the coach wants to play for that game."

Chelsea knocked out PSG to reach the semifinals of last season's competition despite losing the first leg in Paris 3-1, winning the return 2-0 to progress on away goals.

L'Equipe reported on Wednesday that only 27 percent of teams who have drawn the first leg of a European tie 1-1 have gone through, but Thiago Silva told media he remains confident in his team's chances.

"We need to score goals there," the PSG captain explained. "Last season, we didn't manage to do that. But we have the potential to score and win away from home. We just need to work and stay calm."

The Brazil international challenged the media to continue criticising Cavani, 27, who -- though he has found the net just eight times in 22 league appearances -- claimed his sixth goal in seven Champions League outings this term.

"The press have also criticised me a lot, but I have always shown the quality of my play on the pitch," he added. "And I think it's the same for Cavani. Each time the press criticise him, he scores goals. So I hope the journalists will continue criticising him."

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