Former Chelsea striker Demba Ba has opened up about his unforgettable Champions League goal against Paris Saint-Germain in April 2014, describing it as the most special night of his career. Trailing 3-1 from the first leg of the quarter-final tie, Jose Mourinho’s side desperately needed inspiration at Stamford Bridge when Eden Hazard was forced off with a hamstring injury in the first half. Ba replaced the Belgian playmaker and ultimately delivered the decisive moment in the 87th minute, sliding in to convert Cesar Azpilicueta’s deflected cross and secure a dramatic 2-0 victory that sent the Blues through on away goals.
That iconic strike capped a tense European campaign for Chelsea during a transitional 2013-14 season where the west London club ultimately finished third in the Premier League behind Manchester City and Liverpool. Ba, who joined the Stamford Bridge outfit from Newcastle United in January 2013 for seven million pounds, struggled for consistent starting minutes behind Fernando Torres and Samuel Eto'o, making this contribution all the more memorable. The Senegalese international’s instinct to attack the loose ball triggered wild celebrations on the touchline, famously resulting in manager Jose Mourinho sprinting down the technical area to join the jubilant pile-up.
While that dramatic night propelled Chelsea into the semi-finals where they eventually fell to Diego Simeone's resolute Atletico Madrid, the moment remains a defining highlight of Ba's nomadic career. The striker would depart Stamford Bridge the following summer to join Besiktas after scoring fourteen goals in fifty-one total appearances for the Blues. Today, supporters still fondly remember his crucial interventions, from punishing Steven Gerrard's infamous slip against Liverpool to this PSG heroics, proving that Ba was always ready to deliver decisive goals on the biggest European stages.
