Liverpool, April 15: Paris Saint-Germain’s grip on the Champions League trophy remains strong.
The defending champion advanced to the semifinals of European club football’s biggest competition by dumping out six-time winner Liverpool on Tuesday.
A 2-0 win at Anfield sealed a 4-0 aggregate victory and moved PSG a step closer to becoming only the second club to retain the trophy in the modern era after all-time king of Europe Real Madrid.
“It’s difficult to defend the Champions League, we know that,” said coach Luis Enrique. “We are here again and we need to make the most of these opportunities.”
Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Debele scored two second-half goals to kill off Liverpool’s fight and book a semifinal clash against either Bayern Munich or Madrid.
It takes something special to hold onto the Champions League and PSG is a special team. Madrid won a hat trick of titles between 2016-18, but no other team has managed back-to-back wins since the European Cup was rebranded in 1992.
PSG is out to make history after ending its long wait to conquer Europe for the first time last year. It is the second time in as many seasons that the French giant has knocked out Liverpool, which was in search of another famous Champions League comeback and dominated PSG for periods.
Dembele’s first goal ended Liverpool’s hopes – a left-footed shot from the edge of the area in the 72nd minute. His second came at the end of a sweeping move in stoppage time.
Dembele had been guilty of wasting chances in the first leg to effectively put the tie to bed and he failed to capitalize on two more first-half opportunities to put the French champion further ahead at Anfield.
But his opening goal was dispatched with precision – nestling in the bottom corner. His second was a clinical finish from close range.
Liverpool had been dominated in Paris last week. But the Merseyside club knows all about comebacks in this competition.
It was 3-0 down to AC Milan in the 2005 final and powered back to win on penalties. More recently, it routed Barcelona 4-0 in the 2019 semifinals to overturn a 3-0 first-leg loss and go on to lift the trophy.
Anfield is famed for its white-hot atmosphere, especially on European nights, and the PSG team bus was greeted by red flares as it approached the ground. But inside, the French fans more than held their own – singing loudly in the away section as the home crowd seemed strangely subdued at times.
Liverpool had its chances despite losing Hugo Ekitike to an early injury. Virgil van Dijk was denied a first-half tap-in when Marquinhos pulled off a last-ditch block.
In the second half, belief among the home fans began to grow as Liverpool applied the pressure.
And a comeback looked on when referee Maurizio Mariani pointed to the spot for a foul by Willian Pacho on Alexis Mac Allister shortly after the hour.
With the score at 0-0, this was the chance to test PSG’s resolve. But celebrations soon turned to disappointment when the penalty was overturned after review.
Ekitike injury looks ‘really bad’ for Liverpool, France
Ekitike was forced off with an injury in the first half of Liverpool’s Champions League quarterfinal loss to Paris Saint-Germain.
The France striker appeared to hurt his right leg when he slipped in the 27th minute of the second-leg match at Anfield.
“It doesn’t look good,” Liverpool coach Arne Slot said after the 2-0 defeat, which sealed a 4-0 aggregate victory for PSG. “It looks really bad, but it’s difficult for me to say how bad. Tomorrow we will investigate further.”
After receiving medical treatment, it was quickly determined he could not carry on and was taken off the field on a stretcher. He was replaced by Mohamed Salah.
The injury will be a concern for France ahead of this year’s World Cup and could also be a blow to Liverpool in its bid to secure Champions League qualification.
Ekitike has been one of Liverpool’s top players this season and has scored 19 goals for club and country. He scored for France in its 2-1 win against Brazil last month.
PSG’s Nuno Mendes also went off shortly before halftime for an unspecified issue, but he was able to leave the field unaided. Desire Doue then limped off early in the second half. (AP)
