PSG's rampant attack in Champions League match glosses over its bad defending against Chelsea

PARIS (AP) — Paris Saint-Germain's rampant attack saved its sloppy defense against Chelsea in the Champions League on Wednesday.

Although PSG won 5-2 at home in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 game, PSG's late goals glossed over another mediocre defensive performance.

PSG has been very poor at the back in recent weeks and has now conceded 12 goals conceded in seven games, including seven in the past three home games, and Chelsea's 28th-minute equalizer was the result of non-existent marking.

Left back Nuno Mendes was nowhere in sight as right back Malo Gusto was completely unmarked to run onto Enzo Fernández's pass and fire a shot past goalkeeper Matvei Safonov, who failed to get a firm enough hand on the ball.

Safonov has taken the No. 1 jersey from Lucas Chevalier, who was signed in the offseason to replace Gianluigi Donnarumma but has made mistakes that have cost him his place. Neither goalkeeper has the profile or big-match experience of Donnarumma, a European Championship winner with Italy.

Chelsea's equalizing goal in the 57th came after Désiré Doué clumsily lost the ball on the halfway line. Pedro Neto gathered it and sped down the left wing, easily beating captain Marquinhos for pace before squaring the ball for Fernández to score near the penalty spot.

Chelsea had a goal from João Pedro ruled out for offside late in the game, which once again came after PSG's defense was easily breached on a counterattack.

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PSG's Achraf Hakimi, left, and Chelsea's Enzo Fernandez 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)

Chelsea's Wesley Fofana, right, tries to block a shot from PSG's Desire Doue, center, 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)

Chelsea's Reece James, left, and PSG's Vitinha 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)

BERLIN (AP) — A rescue team on Saturday released from a barge in the North Sea a humpback whale that had been stranded in shallow waters near Germany since March, witnesses said.

Nicknamed Timmy by German media, the whale was spotted swimming near Germany’s Baltic Sea coast on March 3, far from its natural habitat in the Atlantic Ocean.

The mammal’s health deteriorated as it became repeatedly stranded in shallow waters near the coastal city of Wismar, and unsuccessful efforts to coax it toward deeper seas were livestreamed across the globe.

The environment minister for Germany’s Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania state gave the green light for the attempt to save the whale, proposed by a private initiative, despite some warnings from the scientific community that it may be too much for the animal.

Jens Schwarck, a member of the private initiative who was on site, said the whale was released around 9 a.m. local time, according to the German news agency dpa. The agency reported that the whale was released 70 kilometers (about 45 miles) from the coast of Skagen, Denmark.

Drone footage showed a whale swimming and spouting water near the barge, though it was not immediately confirmed that the animal was indeed Timmy.

A debate emerged about whether to let the whale die in peace or try to assist its return to the Atlantic Ocean. Activists staged protests on the beach in Wismar calling for its liberation, while others have supported new ideas about how the whale could be transported.

Some scientists believe the whale had searched for shallow waters because it was weak and needed rest. The veterinarians of the private initiative, however, considered the animal fit for transport.

Before the release, a GPS transmitter was reportedly attached to track the whale’s future location, according to dpa.

The humpback whale recovered from a shallow bay off Wismar is being transported towards the North Sea in a flooded cargo ship just before the Danish border in Fehmarn, Germany, Wednesday, April 29, 2026. (Philip Dulian/dpa via AP)

The humpback whale recovered from a shallow bay off Wismar is being transported towards the North Sea in a flooded cargo ship just before the Danish border in Fehmarn, Germany, Wednesday, April 29, 2026. (Philip Dulian/dpa via AP)