[
epa11942886 PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma warms up before the UEFA Champions League Round of 16, 1st leg soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Liverpool FC, in Paris, France, 05 March 2025. EPA-EFE/YOAN VALAT](https://football-italia.net/italian-media-defend-donnarumma-alisson-gap/) French pundits blamed Gigio Donnarumma for Liverpool’s winner against PSG last night, but Italian media argue Gigio wasn’t at fault for the Reds’ late goal.
Ligue 1 giants PSG dominated possession and had the best chances against Liverpool last night, but the Reds secured a key 1-0 win in the first leg of the Champions League Round of 16 with a late Harvey Elliott goal.
It was a close-range shot, but French pundit Bertrand Latour on Canal+ still blamed Donnarumma, saying that a PSG goalkeeper “cannot concede a goal like that.”
Italian media defend Donnarumma after Liverpool win in Paris
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 02: Virgil van Dijk of Liverpool jumps over Alisson Becker of Liverpool as he makes a save against Thijs Dallinga of Bologna during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Phase MD2 match between Liverpool FC and Bologna FC 1909 at Anfield on October 02, 2024 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)
Virgil van Dijk, Thijs Dallinga and Alisson Becker in Liverpool-Bologna (Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)
Italian media surely have a different view, given that Donnarumma received positive ratings from the main sports papers.
Gigio was rated 6/10 by Gazzetta, Corriere dello Sport and Tuttosport.
The Turin-based paper wrote that Gigio “observed his teammates until minute 87, and it’s hard to find him at fault for the Reds’ goal.”
Of course, there was a big gap with his opponent Alisson, as the Liverpool keeper was the undisputed man of the match and was rated 7.5 by Gazzetta, 8.5 by Corriere dello Sport, and 8 by Tuttosport, but the Brazilian’s excellent performance surely isn’t Gigio’s fault.
Donnarumma has played in 19 Ligue 1 matches during the 2024-25 season, conceding 19 goals and keeping four clean sheets. He also conceded nine goals in nine Champions League matches but didn’t concede in three European matches.
The Italy captain has 70 international appearances under his belt.
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