Liverpool v PSG kicks off

Liverpool trailed Paris Saint-Germain 2-0 on aggregate when the quarterfinal second leg kicked off at Anfield on Tuesday, leaving Arne Slot’s side needing at least two goals to stay alive. (uefa.com) The deficit came from the first leg in Paris on April 8, when Désiré Doué scored before halftime and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia added the second after the break in a 2-0 home win for the defending European champions. (uefa.com) At kickoff, the winner over 180 minutes was set to move into the Champions League semifinals in May. UEFA’s official bracket lists the semifinal window from May 4 to May 29, 2026. (uefa.com) Liverpool entered the night trying to overturn a two-goal European deficit against the reigning titleholder, with Slot saying before the match that his team needed to be “very, very special” to complete the comeback. (uefa.com) Paris Saint-Germain arrived with the stronger recent position in the tie and the label of defending champion, while Liverpool leaned on Anfield and a home crowd that has framed many of the club’s biggest European nights. (uefa.com) The team news underlined the stakes. Liverpool started Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike in attack, with Mohamed Salah among the substitutes, while Paris started Ousmane Dembélé, Kvaratskhelia and Doué in a front three. (thisisanfield.com) The quarterfinal was also a rematch of last season’s knockout meeting, which UEFA’s first-leg report said Paris viewed as a chance for revenge after a home defeat by Liverpool in that earlier tie. (uefa.com) By the opening whistle, the equation was simple: Liverpool needed a two-goal win to force extra time, and Paris Saint-Germain needed to protect the edge it built in Paris. (uefa.com)