PSG beats Liverpool, Atlético Madrid downs Barcelona to reach Champions League semifinals
Topic:UEFA Champions League
12m ago12 minutes agoTue 14 Apr 2026 at 11:15pm
A PSG striker slips the ball past the Liverpool goalkeeper into the net in the rain in a Champions League knockout tie.
Ousmane Dembélé scored twice in the rain at Anfield to complete a 4-0 aggregate Champions League win for his PSG side over Liverpool. (Getty Images: DeFodi Images/Ryan Crockett)
In short:
Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and Atlético Madrid are through to the Champions League semifinals after very different quarterfinal wins.
PSG beat Liverpool 4-0 on aggregate, while Atlético Madrid survived despite a 2-1 home loss, beating Barcelona 3-2 overall.
Liverpool striker Hugo Ekitike was carried off after a first-half leg injury, putting him in doubt for France's World Cup challenge.
Ousmane Dembélé struck twice to confirm Paris St Germain's (PSG) place in the Champions League semi-finals with a 2-0 victory over Liverpool, sealing a 4-0 aggregate win in their quarter-final tie at a rain-soaked Anfield.
The holders soaked up sustained second-half pressure from Liverpool, who were roared on by a raucous home crowd on Tuesday, local time, but built on the advantage they established in the first leg in Paris last week to book their fifth semi-final berth in seven seasons.
Dembélé scored at Anfield for a second successive campaign, when he latched onto a ball from Bradley Barcola in the 72nd minute and curled a shot into the bottom corner past Giorgi Mamardashvili from 20 yards out. He completed his double early in stoppage time, slotting home a cross from Barcola.
PSG will meet either Bayern Munich or Real Madrid in the next round, with the German side leading 2-1 ahead of Wednesday's quarter-final second leg.
"We managed to stay strong and defended well," PSG defender Marquinhos told Canal+.
"You can see how the team has matured. We've gained experience."
Boos echoed around Anfield in the second half after a penalty was overturned by the video assistant referee (VAR), initially awarded when Willian Pacho clattered into Alexis Mac Allister in the box.
A Liverpool player raises his hand to signal to the bench as his distressed teammate kneels on the pitch after being injured.
On a tough night for Liverpool in the Champions League, an injury to striker Hugo Ekitike could also rob France of one of their best players at the World Cup. (Getty Images: Sportsphoto/Allstar/Richard Sellers)
The game, played in a torrential downpour, was overshadowed by a worrying first-half injury to Liverpool forward Hugo Ekitike, who was carried off after going down unchallenged and pointing to his Achilles tendon, leaving the pitch in tears.
Ekitike must now be in doubt to make France's squad for the upcoming World Cup starting in June.
"It's not too good," Liverpool boss Arne Slot said.
"Let's wait and see. In the second half he went home. I've not seen him yet."
PSG dominated the first half, and Dembélé's brace came after he squandered a couple of earlier chances, including a close-range shot that he fired well over the bar and another that Mamardashvili, racing back toward his net, punched clear.
It was virtually all Liverpool early in the second half as Ryan Gravenberch, Cody Gakpo, Joe Gomez and Mac Allister all missed decent chances.
Milos Kerkez looked poised to score after latching onto a brilliant ball from Mohamed Salah, who was making his final Champions League appearance for the home side. But the Hungarian sent the ball wide.
Dembélé's first goal, against the run of play, all but settled the contest, stripping struggling Liverpool, who had previously crashed out of both the FA Cup and League Cup, of any realistic hope of overturning the tie and leaving PSG firmly in control for the remainder of the night.
"The game today meant a lot of things because against PSG, who are a bit better than last season, to make a performance like that we have to build from that and realise how good we can be," Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konaté told Amazon Prime.
"It is minimum standard for Liverpool to play Champions League. We have six games left [of the Premier League season] and we have to give all in those six games.
"We knew we could do something special at Anfield … this is football. It's sad."
Atlético goes through despite loss at home
In Spain, Atlético Madrid reached their first Champions League semi-final in nine years, squeezing past Barcelona 3-2 on aggregate despite a nerve-racking 2-1 home defeat that had the Metropolitano holding its breath until the final whistle.
Diego Simeone's side had done much of the heavy lifting with a 2-0 win at the Camp Nou in the first leg, and that cushion proved just enough to withstand an early Barca blitz as the visitors struck twice in the first half to level the tie.
A group of Atlético Madrid soccer players grin and celebrate together after winning a Champions League knockout tie.
Atlético Madrid lost to Barcelona at home but still advanced to the Champions League last four with a 3-2 aggregate win. (AP: Manu Fernandez)
Lamine Yamal capitalised on a Clément Lenglet error to open the scoring in the fourth minute, finishing neatly past goalkeeper Juan Musso after Ferran Torres set him up.
Torres then made it 2-0 in the 24th, racing clear onto Dani Olmo's pass and driving the ball into the top corner.
Atlético, rocked but not floored, found a lifeline in the 31st minute. Marcos Llorente burst down the right and drilled a low cross to the far post where Ademola Lookman outpaced his marker and fired inside the left post to restore the hosts' aggregate lead.
Barcelona dominated possession after the break and had a third goal ruled out for offside against Torres, as Pedri and Gavi controlled the midfield.
Barca finished with 10 men after a last-man challenge brought a red card for defender Eric García and Atlético held on to secure a place in the last four against Arsenal or Sporting, which play on Wednesday, with the London side leading 1-0.
Barca silenced a raucous stadium inside four minutes thanks to a schoolboy error from Lenglet, who was deputising in defence, with Atlético missing David Hancko and Jose Maria Gimenez through injury and Marc Pubil through suspension.
Lenglet's attempted pass back to Musso lacked conviction, allowing Yamal to pounce. Torres collected the loose ball and slipped a neat return pass into Yamal, who burst into the box before tucking the ball under Musso.
Pushed into further mistakes by Barca's press while trying to play out from the back, Atlético paid the price again.
After another sloppy turnover, Olmo surged through midfield and threaded a precise pass between the centre backs. Torres timed his run to beat the offside trap and hammered a rising strike into the top left corner to level the tie on aggregate.
Lookman's goal woke the Metropolitano crowd up again, and the second half resumed at a calmer tempo.
Barca continued to monopolise possession though, and thought they had a third when Torres converted from close range after a Gavi effort deflected into his path, but VAR ruled him offside.
With Olmo, Pedri and Gavi dictating the play in midfield, it appeared only a matter of time before Barcelona struck again. But the contest took another twist when substitute Alexander Sørloth was held from behind by Garcia while racing clear on goal.
Referee Clément Turpin initially showed a yellow card but upgraded it to a red after a VAR review, leaving Barcelona down to 10 men in identical fashion to the first leg, when Pau Cubarsí was dismissed for hauling down Giuliano Simeone.
Sensing vulnerability, Atlético pressed for an equaliser on the night, but Sorloth and Nahuel Molina squandered openings.
The final whistle was greeted with relief by the home fans. Beaten on the night, Atlético march on — battered, breathless and back in the last four for the first time in nearly a decade.
Reuters
Posted12m ago12 minutes agoTue 14 Apr 2026 at 11:15pm
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