LIVERPOOL, England — Liverpool’s journey in the revamped Champions League was marked by highs and lows, as they found themselves at the top of Europe in January, only to be ousted from the competition by early March. After dominating the initial league format, Liverpool’s path led them to a challenging encounter with Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in the round of 16.
In a match that concluded with a 4-1 penalty shootout in favor of PSG at Anfield on Tuesday, Liverpool coach Arne Slot remarked on his team’s misfortune of meeting “one of the best teams in Europe.” Despite these setbacks, Slot accepted the league’s format, which led to the unfortunate matchup. “That’s the format we are in and we have to accept it,” he commented.
The two-leg round of 16 finished 1-1 on aggregate, as Ousmane Dembele scored for PSG to nullify Liverpool’s previous 1-0 victory in Paris. This situation is one of the unpredictabilities of the new Champions League structure. Although Liverpool topped the league phase with victories over formidable opponents like Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, and AC Milan, they found themselves pitted against a reinvigorated PSG that had progressed beyond the playoffs.
“We go out in a way that I think we’ve impressed Europe. But it is something now to take into consideration how much worth it is to end up first in the league table if you can face Paris Saint-Germain in the next round,” Slot noted. Reflecting on the tournament’s demands, he added, “But in the end, if you want to win the tournament, you have to beat teams like Paris Saint-Germain and that’s what we didn’t do today.”
PSG showcased a sharp contrast in performance compared to their earlier struggles, where they incurred losses against Arsenal, Atletico Madrid, and Bayern Munich, along with dropping points against PSV Eindhoven. Their resurgence was further highlighted by a remarkable 4-2 victory over Manchester City in January, although Liverpool had initially bested them with a late goal by Harvey Elliott in Paris.
The second leg at Anfield saw PSG navigating challenges, such as a near-miss from Jarrell Quansah, whose header hit the post. Meanwhile, Liverpool’s goalkeeper, Alisson, delivered crucial saves to keep the match alive. Calling it “the best game of football I was ever involved in,” Slot praised the intensity of the match.
PSG coach Luis Enrique commended both teams’ efforts, acknowledging the dramatic penalty shootout where Gianluigi Donnarumma’s saves against Darwin Nunez and Curtis Jones made the difference. “Today we showed the sort of team we are. We have huge personality,” he stated. “We put in top, top performance, which is exactly what we needed to do.”
