Ousmane Dembélé scored twice as Paris Saint-Germain eased into the Champions League semi-finals with a 2-0 win over Liverpool FC at Anfield on Tuesday, sealing a dominant 4-0 aggregate victory.
The holders were in control throughout and advanced to a third consecutive semi-final without needing to reach top gear, underlining their growing authority in Europe.
Liverpool’s night went from bad to worse when Hugo Ekitike suffered a serious-looking injury in the first half, potentially ruling him out for the remainder of the season.
Arne Slot’s side, currently fifth in the Premier League, are now set to finish the campaign without silverware after being comfortably outclassed over two legs.
The defeat also casts doubt over Mohamed Salah’s future, with no fairytale European farewell for the Egyptian after nine years at the club. Slot made the bold call to start without him, opting instead for Alexander Isak, who was making his first start since returning from a long-term injury.
However, Salah was introduced inside 30 minutes following Ekitike’s injury. The striker went down clutching his lower leg in what appeared to be a suspected Achilles rupture.
Salah nearly made an instant impact, his cross forcing a sharp save from Matvey Safonov, while Marquinhos produced a crucial block to deny Virgil van Dijk.
PSG, who created numerous chances in the first leg, were again wasteful before the break. Giorgi Mamardashvili recovered well to deny Dembélé’s attempted chip, while the French winger also fired over from close range.
Isak, lacking match fitness, was withdrawn at half-time for Cody Gakpo, further blunting Liverpool’s attacking threat.
Liverpool pushed for a way back into the tie after the break. Milos Kerkez squandered a promising chance from another Salah delivery, while a penalty initially awarded to Alexis Mac Allister for a challenge by Willian Pacho was overturned following a VAR review by referee Maurizio Mariani.
As Liverpool committed bodies forward in search of a breakthrough, they were punished on the counter.
Dembélé effectively ended the contest 18 minutes from time, cutting inside and curling a superb effort into the bottom corner from outside the box.
He added his second in stoppage time, finishing calmly from Bradley Barcola’s cross to cap a clinical performance.
PSG will face either Bayern Munich or Real Madrid CF in the semi-finals as they continue their bid to retain the Champions League title.
Under Luis Enrique, the French champions remain firmly on course to become the first team other than Real Madrid to successfully defend the trophy in the modern Champions League era.
AFP
