In the 67th minute of Paris Saint-Germain’s 3-1 win over Chelsea on Wednesday, Zlatan Ibrahimovic pulled up abruptly. The home fans inside Parc des Princes held their breath, but their star man was done for the night.
Is he done for the season? We are still waiting on an official update from PSG, but the initial signs do not look good.
One of the major taking points from the game will be the apparent hamstring injury to Ibrahimovic, as PSG’s talisman limped off and now has just six days to recover before the second leg at Stamford Bridge.
After Javier Pastore’s late goal, PSG may not need Zlatan, who was a little below par on Wednesday for most of the match. But with an expected Chelsea onslaught heading their way, it always helps to have Zlatan on board.
It all came about when the 32-year-old striker lofted a long ball forward and then fell to the ground midway through the second half. There was no contact from a Chelsea player and Ibrahimovic writhed in agony, clutching his hamstring after he struggled to accelerate into the opponents half. PSG’s Swedish superstar limped off the field after receiving treatment and was replaced by Lucas Moura, as the Ligue 1 club were dealt a huge blow ahead of the second leg at Stamford Bridge in just six days time.
(MORE: Chelsea on brink of Champions League elimination, are PSG the real deal?)
PSG’s players were dropping likes flies late on as Marco Verratti was caught late and the Italian youngster also limped of, with Laurent Blanc forced into two quick-fire substitutions but Les Parisiens saw the first leg out in style.
With Zlatan likely out of the second leg, and the likes of Pastore, Ezequiel Lavezzi, Edinson Cavani and Lucas Moura around, there’s no need to rush the big man back. Let him rest up and maybe sit on the bench, if he’s ready, instead of risking unnecessary long-term damage.
(MORE: Paris Saint-Germain crush Chelsea in absorbing Champions League clash)
PSG have a real chance of winning the UCL title, as they showed their pedigree by ruthlessly dispatching Chelsea in the French capital. But a fit and fired up Zlatan is worth his weight in gold, and they’ll need him later on in the tournament. If they get there.
If I were you Monsieur Blanc, I’d wrap up Zlatan in cotton wool and don’t risk rushing him back from injury. Judging on the first leg vs. Chelsea, the French champions will be just fine in the second leg next week.
But will Blanc dare to risk Zlatan?