PSG 0-1 Chelsea: Millie Bright goal gets visitors off to winning start in Champions League

Millie Bright scored the only goal as Chelsea kicked off their Champions League campaign with an impressive victory at Paris St-Germain.

They didn’t produce many more clear-cut chances but were rarely threatened.

Chelsea failed to reach the knockout stages last year but a strong defensive performance helped them beat last year’s semi-finalists.

The Blues continue to be without head coach Emma Hayes, who is recovering from an emergency hysterectomy as part of her “ongoing battle with endometriosis”.

They were also without creative forward Fran Kirby for the trip to Paris.

But they stepped up to the task at hand, despite the hostile atmosphere produced by PSG’s ultras, and produced a positive result.

PSG and Brazil winger Neymar was among the crowd at the Stade Jean Bouin, where the noise was non-stop throughout the game.

The hosts had much of the possession but failed to find the net for the first time in 16 Champions League games.

They were lacking last season’s French league top scorer, Marie-Antoinette Katoto, who tore her anterior cruciate ligament at the Euros while on international duty with France.

And Chelsea found the game’s only goal when Bright peeled off her marker to rifle Cuthbert’s cross into the roof of the net.

Cuthbert shines in Paris

Versatile Scotland midfielder Erin Cuthbert was the engine as Chelsea’s European campaign got off to a winning start.

She provided the expertly timed cross for Bright’s opening goal but was integral in the middle of the park throughout the game, producing a high-effort performance to thwart PSG’s attempts to go forward.

Her endeavours reduced the hosts to trying their luck from distance and nullified the threats they would otherwise have posed on the counter.

Working as part of a double-pivot alongside the equally impressive Sophie Ingle at the base of the Blues’ midfield, she helped to steady the play and allow Chelsea to move forward with fluidity.

Cuthbert has also been used in both attack and defence for her side in the past.

And her previous work as a winger was evident in her excellent distribution to follow up a failed corner by expertly finding Bright at the back post.

Her work in front of the defence aided Bright and Kadeisha Buchanan behind her to produce a steely performance and limit PSG to only a single shot on target.

It was a display in marked contrast to their last appearance in the competition – when they were thrashed 4-0 by Wolfsburg last December to go out in the group stages.

General manager Paul Green, who is taking media duties in Hayes’ absence, spoke before the game of getting back to basics – and they did just that.

Striker Sam Kerr also looked threatening for the Blues and she drew a smart save from Sarah Bouhaddi in the first half, but it was their defensive efforts which enabled them to edge one of Europe’s strongest teams and bodes well for their chances of progressing.

It’s another difficult group for the Blues this time around, with last year’s quarter-finalists Real Madrid likely to make it a three-way battle to qualify. But next up for Chelsea is a home match with Albanian debutants Vllaznia on Wednesday.