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Paris advance 4-1 on penalties
LIVERPOOL’S CHAMPIONS LEAGUE dreams were ended by Paris St Germain in a penalty shootout after the French champions won their last-16 tie at Anfield.
Ousmane Dembele made it 1-1 on aggregate with an early goal and the teams played each other to a standstill over a compelling 120 minutes.
Darwin Nunez and Curtis Jones were the unfortunate ones who were denied by Gianluigi Donnarumma as PSG won the shoot-out 4-1.
There was more bad news for Arne Slot on the night with Trent Alexander-Arnold – his only fit right-back – sustaining an ankle injury which looks like keeping him out of Sunday’s Carabao Cup final.
It was only Liverpool’s fourth loss in 28 penalty shoot-outs as even their hero from the win in Paris, goalkeeper Alisson Becker, could not get anywhere near any of PSG’s four shots.
But when Nunez missed his side’s second the writing was already on the wall and Jones’ failure with the third meant the end was swift as, for the first time in 40 occasions, Liverpool failed to progress after winning the first leg.
What began as a modern-day classic in the making ended in a tense, sketchy encounter with both sides fearful of making the mistake which would end their European hopes.
Liverpool may have a 15-point lead in the Premier League but the benefits of playing in a less taxing Ligue 1 showed in extra time with Slot’s side losing the physical battle.
That may have had something to do with the intensity they started the game with, much better than a week ago, and there was a reversal of roles with PSG not pressing as high or hard as they did at home.
The turnaround in fortunes also applied to the scoreline as after two good Mohamed Salah chances, one deflected over by his Parc des Princes nemesis Nuno Mendes, the visitors took the lead.
Mendes’ ball out of defence found Dembele in acres of space in the centre circle and he brilliantly slid in Bradley Barcola on the right.
Ibrahima Konate stretched to cut out his cross but diverted the ball behind goalkeeper Alisson, presenting Dembele with the easiest of his 23 goals in the last 17 matches.
The forward, then playing for Barcelona, famously missed a simple late chance to make it 4-0 in their 2019 semi-final first leg against Liverpool which paved the way for a historic Anfield comeback – a match he played no part in – so this was some delayed payback.
Alisson made important saves from Barcola and Dembele to prevent the tie slipping out of Liverpool’s grasp.
Konate had a shot tipped around the post by the otherwise unconvincing Donnarumma and Diogo Jota headed over but PSG still threatened, with Ryan Gravenberch getting an important touch as Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s shot looked destined for the top corner.
Anxiety levels crept up after the break and Dominik Szoboszlai’s close-range goal, after Alexander-Arnold had retrieved his own shot that rebounded off a post, was ruled out for offside against Luis Diaz in the build-up.
Willian Pacho blocked another Szoboszlai shot, Donnarumma clawed out Diaz’s header and Salah’s volley from a corner was stopped as the game swung back in Liverpool’s favour.
Alexander-Arnold’s slow hobble around the pitch perimeter just when he was starting to become more effective was a huge blow – not just for what he offered but because it meant 21-year-old centre-back Jarell Quansah was tasked with handling the fleet-footed Kvaratskhelia, which he did while also threatening at the other end with his header against the post bouncing back along the goal-line.
In extra time Lucas Beraldo, Joao Neves and Desire Doue all went close as Liverpool’s legs began to tire, with Alisson pulling off arguably his best save of the two games to deny Dembele.
Unfortunately for Liverpool that was the last time he would get near a PSG shot.
Written by Press Association and originally published on The 42 whose award-winning team produces original content that you won’t find anywhere else: on GAA, League of Ireland, women’s sport and boxing, as well as our game-changing rugby coverage, all with an Irish eye. Subscribe here.
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This is great to see! PSG the best team by a mile and well deserved. They should have scored over 10 goals the 2 legs.
@Micky The Pikey: Utd fan ? Say you just keep focused on the relegation battle , and send over a few sandwiches to the canteen in old trafford lmfao
@DC: no stopping the Sloth machine!!! Hahahhahaha!! Ynwa a jokers
@Micky The Pikey: only ten,can you not count after that,or did you run out of fingers .
@Deano74: yes possibly more so but it’s great to put them back in their box thinking they are the best in the world. Premier league is
Poorest it’s been for years.
@DC: nothing he said wasn’t true. Unbelievably fortunate to win the first leg and their goal led a charmed life in the second. But sure bring up man utd because you can’t counter with any footballing argument.
@Micky The Pikey: The best in the world cr*p is just a myth, peddled by tools to draw in f00ls, well done they got ye, Liverpool are the best in England right now only,as psg are in France,no meaningful competition exists to test this theory,and as always,it’s a poor league when someone else’s team are winning it.
@Deano74: the poor league bit is really down to 19 teams being abysmal as opposed to one being decent.
@Deano74: id say he has at least another 2 on each hand , thanks to genetics !!
Great match, we had chances, so did they. Can’t win them all. Enjoy the rest of the season. YNWA.
@Daniel Gilroy: We? Do you play for Liverpool?
@Sun Rise: I’m gonna hedge my bets here and guess he’s a fan of Liverpool, hence the “we”. Of course I could be wrong and he may be a player. Fair play if he is but the way I see it is, a football club is much more than just it’s players. It’s the owners, the staff, the sponsors, the media, the fans, the players and probably many others with differing interests. But all with an investment and a kinship to a club. So yeah I think it’s fair to say “we” if you have any connection to a club.
@John Paul Gallagher: does watching something on TV really give someone a connection to a club? Are “we” going for a few scoops down the Rovers Return later, or will “we” compete with the Nazis to secure possession of the Ark of the Covenant before the Nazis get their faces burned off by opening it instead?
@George Bowling: did ‘we’ write the jokes you robbed from that Mitchell and Webb look too?
@Sun Rise: I’m impressed, that could be the most original query in the history of The Journal……
Liverpool having a great year and beaten by a very good team.
Slot will get his chance to improve the team with a few of his own transfers in over the Summer so I would say exciting times ahead for Liverpool.
@Moses: A few weeks ago you scousers were claiming to be the best team in the world. That’s laughable now. Stop Salah, which PSG did, and you stop Liverpool. They are a one dimensional team at best and if City hadn’t collapsed this year they would win nothing.
@John Fagan: Don’t agree,city have lost 9 I think,in a decent city year lets say they won 7 of those 9,points wise they still trail Liverpool,it’s all IFS and butts I know,but what is for sure is Liverpool are winning the league and city aren’t .
@John Fagan: Another bitter MU Fan. Such a sad bunch of REAL LOSERS!
@Fred: I am not a Man U fan. I think you need to realise people don’t like Liverpool because they always go on like they are the greatest team ever but never back it up. They just talk about it.
@Fred: and Plymouth if all teams wiped the floor with Liverpool. Hopefully they bugger off now for a few years once the key players leave this season.
Better team over the two legs and deserved to go through. Much more of a team than when they had the collection of exceptional individuals.
Liverpool out classed over the two legs, best team went through, good entertainment though, it’s a poor premier league this year and it’s showing in Europe.
@Allo Allo: Oh and the French League is such a top class league? PSG fully deserved to go through, but they are no better than Man City, tainted by Saudi Arabian money. With all the money put into that club, themselves and City should be winning the Champions League every other year!!
@The Firestarter: PSG have top manager and top players regardless of league. Liverpool are faceing a player walk out and need a rebuild at end of season
It just wasn’t to be. Great team all the same.
They were very lucky in the 1st leg and Alyson played a blinder.
Couldn’t understand why they were so cautious trying to defend a 1 goal deficit, at home. Strange given they are the ‘best team in the world’.
@Jack: they are not the best team in the world. Best team in England currently. But you have to hand it to them, made the most money from the CL league stage and will win the Prem. Slots first season. The years ahead are looking sound. If they had a blank cheque book, it would be interesting
Psg deserved it over the two legs,no complaints TBH,on to Sunday now.
Nunez failed team – professional footballer cannot kick a ball – for the money they’re paid – awful
@D: set up elliot last week , swings and roundabouts , any other night mo would have buried his chance in the first 10 mins
@D: yes he missed his penalty,we’re all shocked and saddened,no doubt we will all find comfort and solace from somewhere.
Best team won on the night in the two, in saying that we need to take stock of what we got, Vandyke Needs to go imo, they should not keep him for a another year, all he does is designate and makes it look like he’s doing something, CK is a better keeper for pens, and Nunez is a jinx I could not believe he was taking a pen. The league is won and we have the cup on Sunday.SO Y.W.N.A
@Phillip Smyth: Van dyke has another year left,he’s a leader,that’s what they do,konate in my opinion would be an utter shambles without Van dyke beside him.
@Deano74: it’s just myOP have a look at him next time. I have to agree he has been a great asset to the defense of the club, but his time is up.
@Phillip Smyth: TBH I’ve been watching vvd for years,his time is approaching,he is in his thirties,he has another year left in him I think,without a ready made replacement that defence would fall to sh*t without him,as a said above hés a leader,barking instruction,and more importantly those around him listen
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