Paris St Germain were left ruing missed chances that kept Liverpool in contention in their Champions League quarterfinal despite a convincing 2-0 home win in Wednesday’s first leg.
The visitors admitting they had been in survival mode for long spells at Parc des Prince.
The defending champions prevailed thanks to goals by Desire Doue and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia but Ousmane Dembele and Nuno Mendes missed golden chances in the second half that would have virtually sent them into the semi-finals.
“We had clear chances to score more goals. We kept Liverpool alive, but we’re happy with the performance. We want to stick to the same approach — it’s what we’ve been doing for a long time,” PSG fullback Achraf Hakimi said.
Teammate Warren Zaire Emery, who with Joao Neves and Vitinha bossed the midfield, also regretted the missed opportunities.
“We could have scored more goals, which is a shame. 2-0 is already good, but nothing is done. We’ll go there with the same intentions, looking to win the match,” he said.
“We’ll need to stay focused and do what we did here. We always try to prepare games the same way, playing as high up the pitch as possible. We had plenty of chances and should have put them away.”
Coach Luis Enrique echoed the sentiment.
“It’s a shame, clearly. We put in a performance worthy of our supporters,” he said.
“We played very well and deserved more goals. But this is the Champions League. We’re happy and there’s still the second leg to come.”
Liverpool took a cautious approach to the game with three centrebacks in a five-man defence and it kept them afloat but they might struggle next week when PSG will be looking to punish them on the break.
Captain Virgil van Dijk was still hoping his side would be able to turn things around next week with the help of the Anfield faithful even though the task is daunting.
“We shouldn’t forget that we play against the European champions of last season, and you see the quality they have,” he said.
“You see the games they’ve played already this season, even in the league, but also in the Champions League, and how good they can be — doesn’t really matter away or home — so we have to be absolutely spot-on with everything we do.
“Hopefully our fans can play a big part in that as well. I’ve been to many special evenings at Anfield and I’m very lucky and privileged. And our fans, that’s the backbone of the club and hopefully they can be there for us as well.”
Liverpool manager Arne Slot pointed to Liverpool’s history, and their supporters whom they “need more than ever” and last season’s last-16 tie — lost on penalties — as reasons to believe they can still progress.
Pressing high might not be the best way to proceed, he admitted.
“When we pressed them high we were ripped apart and it gave them five or six chances,” he said.
“The second half of the game for us was more about surviving,” he added, justifying keeping Mohamed Salah on the bench since the Egyptian striker would have been limited to defending.
Doue and Kvaratskhelia struck either side of half time to give Luis Enrique’s side a solid advantage ahead of next week’s return at Anfield, where PSG booked their place in the last eight last season.
Doue opened the scoring with a deflected effort before Kvaratskhelia doubled the lead with a superb solo run and finish, but PSG wasted a handful of chances that would have further strengthened their bid to reach the semifinals.
Liverpool, thrashed 4-0 by Manchester City in the FA Cup quarterfinals at the weekend, set up cautiously with three centrebacks and Salah on the bench, but struggled to contain a PSG side that mixed patient possession with bursts of attacking intensity.
Also on Wednesday night, Atletico Madrid took a firm grip on their quarterfinal as goals from Julian Alvarez and Alexander Sorloth earned a 2-0 first-leg victory over 10-man Barcelona at the Camp Nou.
Barcelona dominated proceedings but Atletico’s rock-solid defence combined with swift counterattacks paid off after Pau Cubarsi was sent off for hauling down Giuliano Simeone in the 42nd minute as the last man.
Alvarez brilliantly curled the resulting free kick from 25m into the top corner in first-half stoppage time to silence the sold-out Catalan stadium.
Rashford struck the crossbar from a free kick soon after half time but Simeone’s side remained disciplined and doubled their lead in the 70th minute when Mateo Ruggeri crossed from the left and Sorloth volleyed in from close range, sealing a decisive away win.