Branislav Ivanovic has defended Eden Hazard after he made a half-time shirt swap and was booed off in Chelsea’s Champions League exit to Paris Saint- Germain.
Hazard swapped shirts with PSG winger Angel Di Maria as the players left the field at the interval on Wednesday.
He was later booed by some Chelsea fans when he was substituted 13 minutes from time as the Blues’ 2-1 second leg defeat at Stamford Bridge consigned them to a 4-2 aggregate loss.
The 25-year-old playmaker was Chelsea’s leading performer last term, but has been underwhelming this season and, on the eve of the first leg last month, refused to rule out a summer switch to PSG.
After Wednesday’s defeat, Chelsea interim boss Guus Hiddink revealed Hazard had a hip problem and Ivanovic believes the Belgian showed his commitment to the cause by playing.
“It’s not an excuse, but people have to think about the fact he started the game injured,” Ivanovic said in the Evening Standard.
“Did that show how committed he is? Yes. Of course when you lose a game the fans are not happy and they have to be like that.
“But in my opinion it was one of his best performances so far. He was very strong and quick. He wanted to score and had a couple of actions where he looked like last season.”
Chelsea have now been eliminated at the last-16 stage by PSG for the second year running and appear almost certain to be without Champions League football next season.
It will be the Blues’ first campaign without that tier of football since Roman Abramovich took over the club in 2003.
They are well adrift of qualifying through the Premier League – languishing in tenth place, ten points behind fourth-placed Manchester City with nine games remaining.
Ivanovic said: “I will really miss playing in the Champions League a lot.
“All of the players dream to play in the Champions League – we live for the competition and the games. It’s going to be very disappointing to not be in it next season.
“There are great teams and you have to concentrate all of the season to be in the top four. It’s very difficult to be at that level all season.
“But this team has the character to grow and finish in the top four next season. We can fight for the title. We can come back stronger for the Champions League.”
The immediate focus is Saturday’s FA Cup quarter-final at Everton.
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