Chelsea holds on for draw at PSG

Paris, France (SportsNetwork.com) - Chelsea staved off some late pressure at the Parc des Princes on Tuesday to open the Champions League knockout round with a 1-1 draw at Paris Saint-Germain.

The hosts controlled much of the match, but Chelsea managed to take the lead against the run of play with a 36th-minute move from a trio of defenders.

Gary Cahill was the recipient of John Terry's dangerous cross from the left flank, and the Englishman made the most of the delivery, flicking the ball on to the back post where Bransilav Ivanovic was first to react. The Serbian defender rose high to nod the ball past Salvatore Sirigu and give the Blues a vital away goal with their only shot on target of the night.

PSG, though, managed to level the score in the 54th minute from a similar sequence.

Blaise Matuidi whipped in an inch-perfect cross from the left side, delivering the ball to a spot where only Edinson Cavani could connect. The Uruguayan made no mistake with the finish, sending a glancing header just inside the far post to equalize for the French club.

Cavani nearly added another in the 81st minute when he collected a pass from Matuidi and danced past Nemanja Matic with ease only to see his toe poke trickle inches wide of the far post.

Thibault Courtois then provided some late heroics in the final minute of stoppage time, producing a sprawling save to parry away Zlatan Ibrahimovic's header from a deflected cross.

The winner of the return match at Stamford Bridge on March 11 will advance to the quarterfinals. Chelsea also can progress with a scoreless draw, while a scoring draw of more than one goal apiece would see PSG through.

Bayern Munich, meanwhile, was held to a 0-0 draw at Shakhtar Donetsk on Tuesday.

Shakhtar more than held its own against a mighty Bayern side, and things looked up for the Ukranian club in the 65th minute when Xabi Alonso was sent off for a second caution.

Even with 10 men, the Bavarians managed to dictate play, but a goal proved elusive, leaving Shakhtar with all to play for in the second leg at the Allianz Arena on March 11.