LIVERPOOL, England — Paris Saint-Germain‘s grip on the Champions League trophy remains strong.
The defending champions advanced to the semifinals of European club soccer’s biggest competition by dumping out six-time winners 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 kings of Europe Real Madrid.
– Liverpool fear for ‘very-bad’ looking Ekitike injury
– Slot insists Isak was ‘ready’ despite halftime sub
“It’s difficult to defend the Champions League, we know that,” coach Luis Enrique said. “We are here again and we need to make the most of these opportunities.”
Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembélé scored two second-half goals to kill off Liverpool’s fight and book a semifinal clash against either Bayern Munich or Madrid.
After extending their unbeaten streak in the knockout stage to nine games, PSG became the first French club to reach the Champions League semifinals in three straight seasons.
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 are out to make history after ending their long wait to conquer Europe for the first time last year. It is the second time in as many seasons that the French giants have knocked out Liverpool, who were in search of another famous Champions League comeback and dominated PSG for periods.
“It is a real pleasure for me to know that my team is at that level and can play at that level no matter who they are playing against,” said Luis Enrique, who is a two-time Champions League-winning coach, having triumphed with Barcelona as well.
“You can see what sort of team we are, what players I’ve got. We’ve got confidence and belief. It’s wonderful to be living this experience with this team.”
Dembélé’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.
“We’re so happy that we were able to win this game because it was really difficult, especially the second half,” Dembélé said. “But we found a way to win; we’re through to the semifinals, and we are delighted.”
Dembélé 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 champions 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.
“He’s a great player. A world class player,” Luis Enrique said of his striker. “He doesn’t always need to score. We know what he’s about. He can defend well with the team as well, particularly in the second half and that’s what a team is all about.
“I am very pleased to have seen our approach and they way we’ve coped with this game.”
Liverpool had been dominated in Paris last week. But the Merseyside club knows all about comebacks in this competition.
They were 3-0 down to AC Milan in the 2005 final and powered back to win on penalties. More recently, they 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 their 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.
“For a defender, moments like that are better than scoring a goal. It’s what I enjoy most,” Marquinhos told Canal+. “I saw Van Dijk arriving and had the reflex to throw myself at the ball. These are the details that change a game.”
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.
The Associated Press and ESPN Research contributed to this report.
