The French media react to Liverpool's smash and grab victory over Paris Saint-Germain in Paris
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Gianluigi Donnarumma of Paris Saint-Germain arrives to the stadium before the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 UEFA Champions League 2024/25 Round of 16 first leg match between Paris Saint-Germain and Liverpool FC at Parc des Princes
Gianluigi Donnarumma of Paris Saint-Germain arrives to the stadium before the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 UEFA Champions League 2024/25 Round of 16 first leg match between Paris Saint-Germain and Liverpool FC at Parc des Princes
(Image: Photo by Aurelien Meunier - PSG/PSG via Getty Images)
Liverpool stunned Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday night, surviving a dominant display from the Ligue 1 giants before substitute Harvey Elliott snatched victory late on with his very first touch. The Reds will now have a 1-0 lead to protect at Anfield next week as they look to progress to the Champions League quarter-finals.
Arne Slot’s men were left celebrating a famous European victory in the Parc des Princes, well aware that they had ridden their luck for the majority of the tie against Luis Enrique’s impressive side.
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‘Braquage à L'Anglaise’ (‘English Heist’) read the front page of L’Equipe on Thursday morning, perfectly summing up the feeling over in France after Liverpool’s smash and grab win.
READ MORE: 'One night in Paris changed that' - media all make same point after remarkable Liverpool win vs PSGREAD MORE: PSG reaction to astonishing Liverpool win spoke volumes as Arne Slot right again
While the English media were left praising an astonishing performance from goalkeeper Alisson Becker,their French counterparts were left in disbelief.
Notoriously harsh when it comes to dishing out player ratings, L’Equipe gave Alisson Becker a 9/10, but Mohamed Salah and Andy Robertson were both savaged as they were only given 3/10s.
Of the Brazilian’s performance, they wrote: "In a duel from a distance, Alisson, the Brazilian goalkeeper of Liverpool, delivered an immense performance during the Reds' victory at the Parc des Princes (1-0) on Wednesday. Conversely, Gianluigi Donnarumma missed the opponent's only shot on target."
Meanwhile, in L’Equipe’s match report, they bemoaned a ‘Cruel scenario’ as ‘PSG stunned by Liverpool in the Champions League after dominating the entire match’.
They wrote: “Opportunities galore, a goal disallowed for offside and in front, a euphoric goalkeeper: PSG, who had not known defeat in all competitions since their setback against Bayern Munich (0-1) on November 26. And they risk remembering for a moment this disappointment which awakens the club's worst nightmares.
“Because during the entire match, Paris-SG devoured Liverpool as they have devoured everyone since the beginning of the calendar year. But they suddenly lost, during this round of 16 first leg, the offensive realism which has extinguished the rest of Ligue 1 since Christmas and Manchester City (4-2) in the league phase of the C1, on January 22.
“Luis Enrique's team had also not yet come across a goalkeeper as exceptional as Alisson in 2025. Among the ten or so saves made by the 32-year-old Brazilian, some were almost miraculous.
“After this terribly cruel setback, PSG will doubtless regret, beyond their unchallenged domination, not having scored on their first opportunities, before Alisson caught fire.
“PSG were overcome by nervousness as they approached the goal.. having left only crumbs to the supposed best European team of the season. And the rest was even more frustrating. In total, PSG attempted 27 shots (10 on target), wrung Liverpool out to the point that Mohamed Salah, who arrived at the Parc des Princes in the shoes of a possible future Ballon d'Or winner, was insignificant from start to finish. He came off in the 86th minute, without having achieved anything notable, apart from this very poorly managed counter-attack situation (64th minute).
“And since everything was a laugh for the English outside the game, it was obviously the Egyptian's substitute, Harvey Elliott, who scored on his first ball, at the end of a counterattack on which the Parisian defense as a whole panicked in its repositioning, as if it was convinced of the approaching catastrophe. It did not miss: the substitute put his team's first shot on target, and Gianluigi Donnarumma only grazed a ball that slipped under his fingers, summarizing a major difference between the two opponents in this clash of the 8th finals: on one side there was an immense goalkeeper, not on the other.”
Dominique Sévérac ofLe Parisien conceded that PSG’s hopes of reaching the Champions League quarter-finals already fell over after their narrow loss, despite Liverpool’s ‘ugly’ display.
“It was almost all there. Summer in March, victory born of a clear superiority, a great opponent who was ultimately very ugly. Everything was there, but everything, almost. Like a vision of happiness that appears but does not grasp.
“Everything remained in the state of almost, with the cruelty of conceding a goal on the counter three minutes from the end, in a scenario that recalls the defeat against Atlético de Madrid (1-2) on November 6 here.
“At half-time of this double confrontation of the Champions League , everything already seems over, badly embarked, full of regrets even if there is no failure and the possibility of believing in it. It will take an exploit, to push Liverpool into making a mistake like Barcelona last season in the 8th final return. That would be even crazier.
“Apart from a start spent finding their marks, PSG -Liverpool was a one-sided match for a long time, with a Parisian team mixing fury with possession (68% at half-time), in an exciting demonstration of offensive play, in set attacks, in transitions, in reversals, in combinations within the game, in small perimeters.
“Paris did more than look Liverpool straight in the eye, it gave them a football lesson, asserting itself as a European great, only brought back to reason and frustration by its lack of realism. No opponent has tormented Arne Slot's men to this extent in Europe or recently in England…
“Paris passed the test of its defense, passed the test of its midfield, which was worrying in the first part of the Champions League, in particular because of its low impact. It's ancient history. It did not validate its management of the end of the match.
“He has nothing left to prove in attack but it has crashed against the red wall. As if it had not been able to keep one or two firecrackers aside after its fireworks of recent weeks. In less than a week in Liverpool, it will be necessary to resist Anfield and its magical atmosphere, the experience of the Reds, with a goal in advance, and finally score. It is a lot and perhaps too much for this PSG so beautiful but still a little small for these summits.”
Meanwhile, Cyril Simon offered a tactical look at the match forLe Parisien as he explained how an ‘unrecognisable’ Liverpool had been able to ‘crucify’ PSG.
He wrote: “How to recover from such a disappointment? On Wednesday night, the Parisians played the match they were supposed to play against an opponent they were supposed to thwart. They fulfilled their mission with method and authority. Liverpool was unrecognizable and played backwards. And yet…
“In the 87th minute, Harvey Elliott came to spoil the atmosphere on a good service from Darwin Nunez, stronger than Marquinhos in the air. A goal that says a lot about the dynamics of this match but also about the risks inherent in Luis Enrique's style of play.
“Of course, with such technical and physical domination, PSG should have taken cover much earlier. Especially in the first half. Nevertheless, Liverpool knew how to maximize their chances of scoring by accepting their opponent's superiority in the expectation of a draw or a miracle. This PSG had tamed Liverpool…
“In any case, two passes were enough to crucify PSG. A statistic in the standards of this Liverpool who only made three consecutive passes on average (compared to 7 for PSG).
This anomaly is not certain to recur in a week at Anfield. It is a completely different balance of power that will begin on Tuesday on the banks of the Mersey. In any case, PSG knows it now more than ever. It is condemned to perfection.”
Alexandre Lemarie ofLe Monde also rued how PSG’s hopes of Champions League progression are dangling by a thread.
He wrote: “The Parc des Princes crowd is finally waiting for the liberating goal, in a one-sided Champions League match. While Paris Saint-Germain is dominating Liverpool in a big way and multiplying dangerous situations, the English launch a counterattack. A long ball lands on the head of the Reds striker, Darwin Nuñez, who wins his aerial duel with Marquinhos on the edge of the Parisian penalty area. The Uruguayan serves Harvey Elliott on his right. Forty seconds after coming on, the Englishman opens his left foot and crucifies Donnarumma with a cross shot on the ground: 1-0 for the English. Luis Enrique's players are stunned, after this stroke of fate, which looks like a perfect hold-up.
“With three minutes left in regulation time, qualification for the quarter-finals suddenly became very uncertain for the Parisians before a return match on Tuesday, March 12, which promises to be complicated at Anfield, on the English ground, with a boiling crowd, known for transcending its players. The scenario is cruel for PSG, despite having put in a high-level performance.”
Christophe Remise and Baptiste Desprez ofLe Figaro called PSG’s performance ‘a great art’ despite the loss, as they were left bemoaning the performance of their own goalkeeper, Gianluigi Donnarumma.
However, they were also wary of Mohamed Salah enacting ‘revenge’ against PSG after an off-night in Paris.
They wrote: “We saw. This PSG has a future. A Paris Saint-Germain that answered the call by riding on the best in Europe, the future champion of England (Premier League ranking here) and the team that finished top of the standings in the first phase of the Champions League.
“Reds who are more experienced, more solid and led by the gas factory Mohamed Salah, author of 30 goals and 22 assists since the start of the season. Reds who did not see the light of day, except during the first 10 minutes. But Reds… who finally won in Paris (0-1). Hold-up.
“Another hold-up? No, because against Atlético (1-2) or PSV Eindhoven (1-1) for example, the Parisians had shot themselves in the foot, like big boys. This time, they had the misfortune of coming across a goalkeeper in a state of grace, Alisson Becker, who "saved" Liverpool, as Virgil van Dijk pointed out.
“We had talked about the ultimate test before this match. We wanted to know if PSG could reproduce its dazzling performances of the last few weeks against a European powerhouse, if Luis Enrique's precepts were also valid against a powerhouse like Liverpool. We saw. PSG dominated the Reds. And not just a little. In the game, it was great art. Paris imposed its will on the Premier League leader with the same impression of power as against Ligue 1 teams.
“Arne Slot's men may not like possession as much as Luis Enrique's men, but still... After the quarter of an hour of play, they were cornered on their goal and barely left their last 30 meters. Until Harvey Elliott's goal in the 87th minute, their only shot on target. A goal synonymous with victory (0-1) . In terms of content, this match allows the Parisians to look to the future with confidence. As for the qualification, that's something else.
“When Mohamed Salah was replaced at the end of the match by Elliott (86th), everyone thought that the match was over and that the two teams would end in a goalless draw. Nuno Mendes too. You know the rest... Despite everything, we also love football for its unexpected scenarios.
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“But what do you think of the performance of the best player in the world? He completely missed his match. First ball played against the game in the 33rd minute, after being crushed by Mendes. The second half was no more enjoyable. The Egyptian appeared awkward, without ideas or any pep. He owes a revenge on Tuesday at Anfield.
“To go far in the Champions League, you need a great goalkeeper. We still wonder if Gigio Donnarumma is part of this caste. In a club like PSG, this requires exploits even when you don't care about the match. In this case, the 2021 European champion was never called upon before the 87th minute of play and the Reds' goal. At fault? Not to that extent. We will still point out that his hand is not very firm.
“We know his weak points, in the air, kicking or reading. But saves on his line, that's where he excels and he's one of the best in the world. We didn't see it on this one... In short, if we had swapped goalkeepers at kick-off, Paris-SG would probably have won. The observation is there.”