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PSG’s 1-0 defeat at the Parc des Princes to Liverpool has no doubt left the French champions with a simmering determination ahead of their Anfield return leg.
Despite being thoroughly dominated for nearly the entire match, Arne Slot’s side departed Paris with a crucial advantage, courtesy of substitute Harvey Elliott’s 87th-minute strike and an otherworldly performance from goalkeeper Alisson Becker, who later described his display as “the performance of my life.”
Paris Saint-Germain amassed a staggering 27 shots compared to Liverpool’s paltry two, while maintaining a commanding 70% of possession throughout the match.
The hosts crafted opportunity after opportunity, with their attacking trident of Ousmane Dembele, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, and Bradley Barcola persistently tormenting Liverpool’s defensive line throughout the evening.
For Liverpool, a 1-0 in Paris with their goalkeeping having a historic performance gives shades of the 2022 Champions League final – except the Reds were on the opposite side of the coin on that occasion.
All in all, it felt like the Reds certainly needed some luck in Europe for a change – but one PSG star did not see it that way.
Speaking to reporters after the game, PSG star Vitinha cut out a disappointed figure and claimed it was hard to play a Liverpool side ‘like that’:
“It’s hard to play a match like that, against a team like that,” the Portuguese international said.
“Only one goal opportunity, only one shot. Now is the time to show what a team we are.”
“We’re going to show what a team we are, we’re going to show our character.”
“We’re going to win there [at Anfield]. With the game we played, the victory was more than deserved.”
“We had plenty of chances like at the start of the season but we didn’t manage to score.”
PSG coach Luis Enrique struck a resolute note in his post-match comments, asserting that his team would approach the return fixture with a “nothing to lose” mentality.
The mental dynamics of the second leg promise to be intriguing. PSG now face the prospect of having to score at least once to maintain any hope of advancing, which may compel them to adopt a more attacking approach at Anfield.
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