PSG Edge Liverpool on Penalties at Anfield to Reach Champions League Quarterfinals

Liverpool came into the second leg at Anfield with a slender one-goal advantage, courtesy of a late Harvey Elliott strike in Paris. It was a bizarre first leg where Liverpool had managed just two shots while PSG bombarded Alisson’s goal with 27 attempts. Yet, despite their dominance, PSG had nothing to show for it and had to travel to Anfield needing a win—never an easy task against a side that thrives on European nights at home.

But if there was any pressure on Luis Enrique’s men, they certainly didn’t show it. PSG started the game full of confidence, moving the ball well and pinning Liverpool back early on. The first real chance of the night, though, fell to Mohamed Salah in the fourth minute. Dominik Szoboszlai whipped a dangerous low cross into the box, and Salah met it cleanly, but his shot was crucially blocked by Nuno Mendes. Despite that early warning, PSG remained composed and soon got their breakthrough. 

It was their first real attack, and they made it count. Ousmane Dembélé drove forward through the center and found Bradley Barcola on the left. The young forward beat Andrew Robertson before cutting the ball back to Dembélé, whose initial effort caused a scramble in front of the goal. As Ibrahima Konaté tried desperately to clear, the ball ricocheted back to Dembélé, who poked it past Alisson to level the tie on aggregate. 

Even after getting back on level terms, PSG kept pushing forward. In the 16th minute, Barcola found himself through on goal after Liverpool lost the ball in midfield. He only had Alisson to beat, but his final touch was too heavy, allowing the Liverpool keeper to rush out and make a crucial save. Sixteen minutes later, Liverpool’s defense was carved open again. This time, it was Dembélé who found himself in a one-on-one situation after Trent Alexander-Arnold mistimed his tackle. However, the Frenchman’s touch was just loose enough to allow Alisson to smother the ball at his feet. By halftime, PSG looked the more composed side, with Liverpool struggling to control the midfield. The Reds had shown flashes of improvement compared to their performance in Paris, but their backline looked vulnerable against PSG’s sharp movement. Still, with the aggregate score level, everything was left to play for in the second half. 

Liverpool emerged from the break with renewed energy, and within ten minutes, they thought they had taken the lead. Luis Díaz set up Alexander-Arnold for a powerful strike from outside the box, which Donnarumma parried. Szoboszlai dived in looking for a high boot call but play continued. The right-back had another go, this time hitting the inside of the post. As the ball rebounded, he reacted quickest, squaring it for Szoboszlai to tap in. But just as Anfield erupted, the assistant referee’s flag went up for offside against Díaz, who had been involved much earlier in the play. 

Liverpool kept pushing, and in the 79th minute, they came agonizingly close again. Robertson delivered a perfect ball into the box, and young defender Jarell Quansah timed his run brilliantly, guiding his header onto the far post. However, the offside flag went up again, adding to Liverpool’s frustration. Despite their best efforts, they couldn’t find a way past Donnarumma, and PSG—who had dominated both legs—also failed to land the killer blow. As the final whistle blew, the tie remained level on aggregate, sending the game into extra time. 

PSG nearly broke the deadlock in the first period of extra time. A short corner routine ended with a cross to Lucas Beraldo, whose header flew just wide. Later, Achraf Hakimi whipped a dangerous ball across goal, and if Dembélé had continued his run, he would have had a simple tap-in. The French winger then tried to curl one into the net, but Alisson produced yet another big save to keep Liverpool alive. 

After 210 minutes of football, nothing could separate the two sides, and the tie went to penalties. Vitinha stepped up first for PSG and converted, though Alisson got a hand to it. Salah made no mistake with his spot-kick to level things up. Gonçalo Ramos then put PSG ahead before Darwin Núñez missed his penalty, putting Liverpool in trouble. Dembélé confidently dispatched PSG’s third, and Donnarumma followed up with a brilliant save to deny Curtis Jones. With PSG now on the brink, Desire Doué stepped up to take the decisive penalty. He sent Alisson the wrong way, booking PSG’s spot in the quarterfinals and finally putting an end to Liverpool’s European dream.