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In what Slot labelled “the best game of football I’ve ever been involved in” PSG beat Liverpool 4-1 in the shootout to advance to the quarter-finals, winning Tuesday’s second-leg match at Anfield 1-0 thanks to a goal from Ousmane Dembele.
“Yeah, of course it’s a shock,” Slot said. “But if you have to go out, and go out in a way like we did against one of the best teams in Europe and make such a fight out of it, I hope and think that every fan around the world was hoping that this game just kept on going, that it wouldn’t stop because it was incredible.
“And they, in the end, won.”
PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma saved spot kicks from Darwin Nunez and Curtis Jones, while the visitors converted all of their efforts.
Liverpool had won last week’s first leg in Paris 1-0. Tuesday’s loss was a rare low in Liverpool’s season of highs. They hold a huge advantage in the Premier League title race and can hoist the League Cup trophy on Sunday with a victory over Newcastle United. They were considered favourites to win their first Champions League title since 2019 after topping the table through the eight-game league phase, with victories in their first seven matches. Slot had warned throughout, however, that winning the league phase did not mean much, and it turned out he was right.
“We really showed ourselves, we can be proud of what we did, won seven games in a row. We got out in a way that I think we’ve impressed Europe,” Slot said. “But yeah, it is something now to take into consideration that we end up first in the league table and then face Paris St Germain in the next round.
“We were so unlucky to play Paris St Germain, but in the end if you want to win the tournament you need to beat teams like Paris St Germain.”
Meanwhile, Paris St Germain boss Luis Enrique said both his team and Liverpool deserved a berth in the Champions League quarter-finals, such was the terrific, nail-biting battle between the two sides in the competition’s last-16.
The Spaniard beamed with pride about how his squad rallied from being a goal down after last week’s first leg to dispatch Premier League-leading Liverpool 4-1 in a penalty shootout at Anfield on Tuesday.
to go to the next phase, they play better than us here, but I think my team at Anfield, in a special stadium, showed great personality and character,” he said.
“We tried to play our best, but it was difficult as they’re so intense. Both teams deserved to qualify. The character and personality, even when we shoot at the penalty shootout they showed great character. I think it shows clearly the team we are.”
Ligue 1 leaders PSG have never won the Champions League, losing to Bayern Munich in the 2020 final, while 2019 winners Liverpool were considered the favourites to advance after topping the table through the eight-game league phase. — Reuters.
Online Reporter