Paris Saint-Germain chairman Nasser Al-Khelaifi paid tribute to the 97 Hillsborough victims and wished Hugo Ekitike well after their Champions League quarter-final win at Anfield
Nasser Al‑Khelaifi
Nasser Al‑Khelaifi has sent a classy message to Liverpool after their Champions League meeting(Image: UEFA via Getty Images)
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Paris Saint-Germain chairman Nasser Al-Khelaifi has delivered a touching message to Liverpool and Hugo Ekitike following their Champions League quarter-final clash at Anfield. Liverpool were unable to claw back the 2-0 deficit from the opening leg in Paris, crashing out of the competition.
The visitors netted twice through Ousmane Dembele to seal a 4-0 aggregate triumph, while the Reds' seven efforts on target yielded no goals. Their evening took a further blow when Hugo Ekitike was stretchered off the pitch with a suspected Achilles injury.
Before kick-off, a minute's silence was observed to commemorate the 37th anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster on Wednesday, April 15. There is a campaigning for the Hillsborough Law to become a landmark piece of legislation, named in honour of the 97 Liverpool supporters who were unlawfully killed following catastrophic police failures after travelling to watch their team face Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup semi-final on this day in 1989.
Speaking to CBS Sports after the final whistle, Al-Khelaifi extended his sympathies to the bereaved families and offered words of encouragement to Ekitike following his unfortunate setback. He said: "Before we talk about the match, we are really thinking about the 97 people who lost their lives at football.
"That is something much bigger than any football and sports. All of our thoughts are with their families.
"We are also thinking of our ex-player Ekitike. I hope his injury is not too bad."
Hugo Ekitike
Hugo Ekitike had to be stretchered off the pitch with a suspected Achilles injury
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Reflecting on progressing to the semi-finals, where PSG will face either Bayern Munich or Real Madrid, the 52-year-old continued: "I am very proud and very happy with the result and the qualification.
"To come here at Anfield, full respect to the amazing fans here. To beat them 2-0 again, that's an amazing achievement but we need to be humble and down to earth thinking about the next step, the next match.
"We should not go over the moon, also, but should be very happy."