Neves and Dembélé return from injury to star as PSG routs Chelsea 5-2 in Champions League

PARIS (AP) — João Neves and Ousmane Dembélé returned from injury to help Paris Saint-Germain rout Chelsea 5-2 in the last 16 of the Champions League on Wednesday.

They combined to set up the first goal after 10 minutes and Dembélé scored with a brilliant solo effort late in the first half.

The third goal followed a blunder from Chelsea goalkeeper Filip Jørgensen, who passed the ball straight to PSG forward Bradley Barcola. He fed substitute Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, who then passed inside to Vitinha and he neatly lobbed Jørgensen.

Kvaratskhelia added two late goals allowing PSG to take a healthy lead into next Tuesday's second leg at Stamford Bridge in London.

“We showed we are capable of anything. We have to carry on like this," Kvaratskhelia said. "We conceded goals but we have to analyze the mistakes we made.”

Dembélé's speed and lucid thinking on his goal showed that the Ballon d'Or winner is getting back to his best in an injury-hit season.

He latched onto a pass near the halfway line and then accelerated clear before cutting inside and then outside to beat defenders Marc Cucurella then Wesley Fofana before firing a low shot across Jørgensen and into the bottom left corner.

“He played very well, he played like Ousmane Dembélé knows how to and it’s very good news for us,” PSG coach Luis Enrique said. “We look forward to him doing it again in London next week.”

Dembélé came off midway through the second half but it appeared only as a precautionary measure rather than another injury flare up.

“When a player returns you have to give them the right amount of playing time," Luis Enrique said.

On the opening goal, Dembélé’s cross from the right was headed down by Neves for Barcola to score from inside the penalty area.

Dembélé hit the crossbar moments later with a rasping shot. He came off midway through the second half.

Neves had been nursing an ankle injury since PSG advanced past Monaco in the Champions League playoffs last month.

Dembélé shook off a calf injury. He had come on as a second-half substitute in Friday's 3-1 home defeat to Monaco in Ligue 1.

Their return allowed PSG coach Luis Enrique to name a near-full strength side, although midfielder Fabián Ruiz remained sidelined with a left knee injury.

PSG last played Chelsea in July in the final of the Club World Cup, when Chelsea won 3-0.

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

PSG's Ousmane Dembele, right, leaves the pitch and speaks with PSG's head coach Luis Enrique after being substituted during the first leg of the Champions League round of 16 soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea, in Paris, Wednesday, March 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

PSG's Ousmane Dembele scores his side's second goal during the first leg of the Champions League round of 16 soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea, in Paris, Wednesday, March 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

PSG's Joao Neves, left, and Chelsea's Cole Palmer challenge for the ball during the first leg of the Champions League round of 16 soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea, in Paris, Wednesday, March 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

PSG's Ousmane Dembele celebrates after scoring his side's second goal during the first leg of the Champions League round of 16 soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea, in Paris, Wednesday, March 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

PSG's Bradley Barcola, right, celebrates with teammates after scoring the opening goal during the first leg of the Champions League round of 16 soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea, in Paris, Wednesday, March 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

PSG players pose ahead of the first leg of the Champions League round of 16 soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea, in Paris, Wednesday, March 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. (AP) — The bunched leaderboard, the inability to pull away, the momentum changing with virtually every shot.

Yes, if the U.S. Open plays out Sunday like it did in the third round, then the race for second place will be a nailbiter.

Three players whose names will drive Google searches galore for casual golf fans — Tom Kim, Sam Stevens and Sahith Theegala — found themselves tied with a bigger name, Scottie Scheffler, in a four-way logjam for second with 18 holes to play at Shinnecock.

They all finished Saturday trailing leader Wyndham Clark by six shots.

"As you can see, it’s kind of a jumbled leaderboard," Kim said, “except for where the leader is.”

For the record, a six-shot rally would be one less than the biggest final-round comeback in U.S. Open history. That belongs to Arnold Palmer, back in 1960 at Cherry Hills.

Even if they had resumes approaching Palmer's, the odds would be stacked against these three dreamers. Turns out, they don't.

Kim, Stevens and Theegala have a total of one top-5 finish in majors between them. All in their 20s and looking for a breakthrough, they have a total of 39 starts in majors between them, dating to 2020.

They will play in groups ahead of Scheffler, whose early round of 69 left him in that jumble at 1-under 209 and gave him the last, and featured, tee time with Clark on Sunday.

The other three know they have quite a hill to climb. If Clark falters or Shinnecock Hills rises up — now less likely with the wind expected to calm down — then Scheffler figures to be the best bet to scoop up the trophy and wrap up the career Grand Slam.

“So much of it kind of depends on what Wyndham does,” Stevens said. “I could play a great round tomorrow and shoot 3- or 4-under and still lose by seven.”

But, stranger things have happened.

“There's a disaster waiting to happen on every hole,” Theegala said. “So you just have to be patient.”

A quick look at the group in second place:

At Pepperdine, became only the fifth player in the last 30 years to win the three biggest awards for college players: The Fred Haskins, Ben Hogan and Jack Nicklaus Awards.

But Theegala became a bigger name when he appeared on the Netflix series “Full Swing,” which takes an inside look at players on the PGA Tour. He was still living at home when he made it to the tour, and things like doing his laundry felt new.

Theegala's best major finish was ninth place at the 2023 Masters. His lone win on tour was at 2023 at the Fortinet Championship.

Quotable: “There’s a lot of danger involved in pushing it a little bit, but you do have opportunities to kind of make a push at the end there.”

Kim became a lightning rod for his fiery appearances at the Presidents Cup in 2022 and 2024. There was friction because of the fist-pumping antics he pulled and some difference of opinion over who, if anyone, crossed the line when he teamed with Si Woo Kim in a match against Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay.

Kim also made a splash when he waded into a swamp looking for an errant tee shot at the 2023 PGA at Oak Hill. He came out a muddy mess and had to dip into a stream to clean up — a viral moment that he explained by saying: "I mean it’s a major championship. I’m fighting for every single stroke I have.”

Kim finished in a tie for second at the 2023 British Open, though he shot a 67 to pull into that tie and was still six shots behind winner Brian Harman in a major as lopsided as this one is shaping up to be.

Quotable: “I think you’ve just got to look at it as you’ve got to kind of do your own thing. You can’t really force a lot of things out here. You’ve got to keep staying patient, and that’s what I’m going to do.”

A father of four, Stevens is the third generation of a golf family with deep roots in Kansas and across the Midwest.

His grandfather, Johnny “Slim” Stevens, made more than two dozen starts on the PGA Tour in the 1960s and played in the 1969 U,S. Open. His father, Charlie, played college golf at Oklahoma, had a brief stop on the Korn Ferry Tour and won the Kansas Amateur in 2010.

He has made more than $10 million on the PGA Tour but has yet to post his first win. Asked earlier in the week about his surge at Shinnecock, he said a good conversation with his wife, Kelsey, helped him rediscocver his perspective.

“I’m only 29,” he said, “so I probably don’t need to be bitter about things quite yet.”

Quotable: “You don’t normally shoot a low number trying to shoot a low number. You kind of shoot a low number just because it happens.”

AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

Tom Kim, of South Korea, watches his tee shot on the 17th hole during the third round of the U.S. Open golf tournament at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, N.Y., Saturday, June 20, 2026.(AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Sam Stevens watches his tee shot on the 17th hole during the third round of the U.S. Open golf tournament at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, N.Y., Saturday, June 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Sahith Theegala reacts after missing a putt on the fourth hole during the third round of the U.S. Open golf tournament at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, N.Y., Saturday, June 20, 2026.(AP Photo/George Walker IV)