Paris Saint-Germain had dominated the home leg of their Champions League tie against Liverpool but left the Parc des Princes shellshocked following Harvey Elliott’s smash and grab winner. A 1-0 deficit at first glance did not look like a mountain, but a trip to Anfield is far from a pleasant obstacle when chasing a lead.
Liverpool lived up to their promise and looked to rock PSG from the first whistle, but it would be up to PSG to go against the run of play and stun a dominant side when Ousmane Dembélé capitalised on a communication mixup between Alisson Becker and Ibrahima Konaté. It would take penalties to eventually separate these two sides.
It would take penalties to eventually separate these two sides with PSG entering their first ever Champions League shootout. The debutants would be victorious scoring four to Liverpool’s one, as Gianluigi Donnarumma more than made up for a spotty record in past European games.
Ousmane Dembélé has PSG dreaming of Champions League glory
A lot has been made of this new look PSG. A PSG that has put its faith in the bigger picture rather than the bigger name. Fabián Ruiz recently remarked that following the departure of Kylian Mbappé there were no more “global stars” in the team. And while the midfielder is correct, Ousmane Dembélé is certainly making a point to question that statement.
This season has been transformative for the winger-cum-false nine. At 27 he is finally taking steps to fully realise the monumental potential that had convinced Barcelona to spend an initial fee of €105 million to bring him to the Camp Nou in 2017. His time in Spain had moments of brilliance but his injury record underscored an unreliability.
His return to his home country in the 2024 summer transfer window seemed like it would do little to rid Dembélé of his reputation. However, he has become the focal point of this fluid Parisian attack. His goal in the 12th minute came against the run of play and gave life to PSG. It’s hard not to think that ifLes Parisiens hope to go the distance, it will be tied to the Frenchman’s redemption arc.
PSG learn to dig deep
Last week PSG were given a masterclass in digging deep by Alisson Becker. PSG controlled the ball and peppered the Liverpool goal with 27 shots (ten of which were on target) but the Brazilian international refused to give an inch as he made nine saves.Without the heroics of the (ahem) ‘Christ-like’ goalkeeper, PSG would have travelled to Anfield with a very comfortable scoreline.
This time round, buoyed by the home crowd, Liverpool were a far more ferocious beast. The Premier League side pressed aggressively and carved out excellent chances. However, a mixture of near misses (hitting the post on occasion) were coupled with a PSG side that put their bodies on the line to make last minute interventions.
Nuno Mendes and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia come to mind as they made vital blocks throwing their legs in the way of Liverpool’s hungry attack. Even Gianluigi Donnarumma, who has often come under criticism for his disastrous past in the Champions League, made saves and parries that kept the hosts from finding the back of the net during regulation time.
Gianluigi Donnarumma – Champions League hero
Donnarumma has gotten his fair share of blame for PSG collapses in the past and quite a lot if it has been deserved. The Italian number one has often made costly errors that have paved the way for elimination for the Ligue 1 side, including last season during the semi-final exit to Borussia Dortmund. However, tonight all was forgotten as he became PSG’s hero.
The former AC Milan goalkeeper made two big saves in the penalty shootout as he stopped efforts from Darwin Núñez and Curtis Jones. It was a fantastic performance that brought to mind the last time the goalkeeper broke English hearts when he helped Italy to glory in Euro 2020.
PSG will hope that this is a turning point and evidence of what is to come this season as they plot their route to the final. Donnarumma has his admirers in the capital and the club are keen to extend his contract beyond its 2026 end date. There were still a few shaky moments in this game and his detractors might point to the fact that we perhaps already knew the Italian could perform against spotkicks… but then again football is a game built on confidence.
GFFN |Nick Hartland