PSG must finish the job, insists Ibrahimovic

Zlatan Ibrahimovic has urged Paris Saint-Germain to finish off Bayer Leverkusen after its 4-0 victory in Germany left it on the verge of the Champions League quarterfinals.

The Sweden star scored two goals in three first-half minutes as the French league leader ran riot at Leverkusen's BayArena in Tuesday's last-16, first-leg clash.

Bayer was reduced to 10 men for the final half an hour when Ibrahimovic's marker, Emir Spahic, was sent off for a second yellow card.

Ibrahimovic's two goals left him as the competition's top scorer with 10 Champions League goals in six matches, one more than Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo.

This was a five-star performance from PSG, but Ibrahimovic was forthright when asked if this Parisian side was the best team he has played in.

"I have played in fantastic teams so difficult to say, you can have a great team, but not win trophies, we need to finish the job first," said 32-year-old Ibrahimovic.

Midfielder Blaise Matuidi put PSG ahead with barely two minutes gone before Ibrahimovic netted a penalty, then added a second when he unleashed a thunderbolt of a shot to make it 3-0 at the break.

Replacement Yohan Cabaye then added PSG's fourth just before the final whistle to complete the rout.

"I have an embarrassment of riches in my team at the moment," said PSG's contented coach Laurent Blanc.

"We rediscovered the football we showed in the group stages, it was better than we played at the start of the year and I was pleased to see it.

"The players did really well and I have to praise them for the performance.

"We didn't want to give Bayer any self-confidence and we tried to make sure they didn't get any of the ball.

"We kept trying to push forward even when they started getting physical trying to stop us."

Blanc dampened down growing expectations and said PSG would approach the return leg eager to secure another victory over Leverkusen, which has now lost six of its past eight matches.

"It doesn't matter how the first leg went, we still have the second to come, obviously this is a big step towards the quarterfinals, but we want to win the return at the Parc des Princes," said Blanc.

"We have ambitions in this competition.

"This is just one game and we can still meet other teams who have lots of experience, but, of course, the hopes and expectations are growing."

Having been routed 5-0 by Manchester United at the end of November in its previous home Champions League match, Leverkusen was again outgunned and outclassed on the European stage.

"In the first half, we played without motivation, with fear," said defender Omer Toprak.

"Paris walked over us. It was too easy for them.

"We didn't win any 50-50 balls, we got nothing.

"Unfortunately we quickly found ourselves reduced to 10 men in the second-half, which was a shame."

Sami Hyypia-coached Leverkusen now faces the unenviable task of trying to salvage something from the return leg in Paris on March 12.

"It's not easy to sit here after a performance like that," said ex-Liverpool defender Hyypia, whose team has lost its past three home games.

"We played against a good team and to be behind after just three minutes only made it harder.

"Paris showed how strong they are.

"In the second half, we played better after the red card with 10 men than we did with 11."

(China Daily 02/20/2014 page23)