PSG edges Liverpool on penalties to book quarter-finals tickets

Paris Saint-Germain progressed to the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League after winning Liverpool 4-1 on penalties after regulation time.

The visitors needed 12 minutes to restore parity on aggregate after Ousmane Dembele cancelled Curtis Jones’ first-leg goal.

The match started with high intensity, as expected, and chances were created. Both Gianluigi Donnarumma and Alison Becker were on top of their game to keep their sides in the tie as they seized each other. Dembele, who has been in terrific form this season, got his number 29 goal of the season when he was gifted a pass from Kone, who was trying to clear Bradley Barcola’s through ball to the former Barcelona winger.

With the aggregate scoreline being 1-1 after 120 minutes, both went into penalties, and PSG emerged triumph after converting all their spot kicks.

Liverpool strikers Darwin Nunez and Jones couldn’t beat Donnarumma, who saved their spot kicks after Mo Salah had scored his.

 Donnarumma flung himself to his left and saved Nunez’s penalty, and palmed the ball out. 

The Italian goalie again saved Jones’ kick when he dived low to his right to put Liverpool on the brink of elimination.

PSG got the job done through Vitihna, Dembele, Goncalo Ramos, and Doue to emerge as winners of their first penalty kicks in the competition.

This is a thoroughly deserved win for the Ligue 1 champions, who produced a magnificent display in the first leg where Alisson, who emerged man-of-the-match, was their stumbling block.

He also produced a huge display here but couldn’t stop any of the spot kicks.

PSG will face the winner of the Lille and Borussia Dortmund game in the quarter-finals. The last time they faced Dortmund in the competition was in the last edition when they were eliminated by the Bundesliga side in the semifinals.

Liverpool will now focus on Sunday’s Carabao Cup final against Newcastle United as they also aim to win the Premier League, which they lead with 15 points.