While Paris Saint-Germain took a step toward the semifinal of the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday, its hopes of winning the competition were dealt a harsh blow.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic, PSG’s superstar striker, suffered a hamstring injury in the second half of his team’s 3-1 victory over Chelsea, which rules him out of action for at least a month, according to club president Nasser Al-Khelaifi.
“He is doing an MRI now,” Al-Khelaifi told French radio station RMC on Thursday, according to Sky Sports. “I think he will need a minimum of four weeks (on the sidelines).”
Such a timetable rules Ibrahimovic out of the second leg of PSG’s quarterfinal series with Chelsea.
However, Al-Khelaifi is no doctor, and Ibrahimovic could return sooner. PSG has yet to officially announce the result of the scans Ibrahimovc underwent Thursday.
The Champions League semifinals take place on April 23 and April 29, putting Ibrahimovic’s participation in jeopardy.
Ibrahimovic has led PSG to rarefied European heights this season, scoring 10 goals in eight games. The Swede’s absence puts the onus on Edinson Cavani to fire the Parisians into the last four of the Champions League for the first time since 1995. It’s the perfect time for Cavani to escape Ibrahimovic’s giant shadow and further justify his €64 million($84 million) price tag.
See Ibrahimovich suffer his hamstring injury below.
Click here to review PSG’s 3-1 victory over Chelsea>>
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GIF via The Big Lead
