PSG knocks out Liverpool

Paris Saint-Germain ended Liverpool’s Champions League run on Tuesday, winning 2-0 at Anfield and reaching the semifinals with a 4-0 aggregate victory. (uefa.com) Ousmane Dembélé scored both goals in Liverpool, striking in the 72nd minute and again in stoppage time. Reuters reported that Bradley Barcola set up both finishes. (straitstimes.com) The tie was effectively built in Paris on April 8, when PSG won the first leg 2-0 through goals from Désiré Doué and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. Liverpool arrived at Anfield needing at least two goals to force extra time and never got one. (uefa.com; uefa.com) The result sends the defending champions back to the last four, where UEFA’s bracket shows they will face either Bayern Munich or Real Madrid. Bayern carried a 2-1 lead into that quarterfinal second leg on Wednesday, April 15. (uefa.com; uefa.com) For Liverpool, the exit closes a knockout run that had included a 4-1 aggregate win over Galatasaray in the round of 16. PSG had reached the quarterfinal by beating Chelsea 8-2 on aggregate. (uefa.com) For PSG, the latest win keeps alive a season that has already included a playoff win over Monaco, a rout of Chelsea, and now a two-leg shutout of Liverpool. By Tuesday night, the French club had not conceded in either leg of the quarterfinal. (uefa.com; uefa.com) Reuters said Liverpool pushed early in front of a loud Anfield crowd, but PSG protected the edge it built in the first leg and then finished the tie late through Dembélé. The semifinal first leg is scheduled for April 28, with Paris at home if Bayern or Real Madrid advances from the other side of the bracket. (straitstimes.com; uefa.com)