PSG, Atlético head to Champions League semi-finals

LIVERPOOL, England (AP):

Paris Saint-Germain’s (PSG) grip on the Champions League trophy remains strong.

The defending champion advanced to the semi-finals of European club football’s biggest competition by dumping out six-time winners Liverpool yesterday.

A 2-0 win at Anfield sealed a 4-0 aggregate victory and moved PSG a step closer to becoming only the second club to retain the trophy in the modern era after all-time kings of Europe Real Madrid.

“It’s difficult to defend the Champions League, we know that,” said coach Luis Enrique. “We are here again and we need to make the most of these opportunities.”

Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Debele scored two second-half goals to kill off Liverpool’s fight and book a semi-final clash against either Bayern Munich or Madrid.

Also yesterday, Atlético Madrid advanced to the semi-finals after a 3-2 aggregate win over Barcelona.

Diego Simeone’s team held on after an early charge by Barcelona to make it back to the semi-finals for the first time in nearly a decade.

Atlético lost 2-1 but advanced 3-2 on aggregate after having won the first leg 2-0 in Barcelona last week. It will be the team’s first last-four appearance in the European competition since 2017.

“To play in a Champions League semi-final, how nice, how nice ...” said Simeone, who was visibly moved after the thrilling back-and-forth game.

“It’s been 14 years and, honestly, seeing the team still competing really moves me,” Simeone said. “The players have changed, we’ve had to start over many times and yet here we are again among the top four in Europe.”

It takes something special to hold onto the Champions League and PSG are a special team. Madrid won a hat-trick of titles between 2016 and 2018, but no other team has managed back-to-back wins since the European Cup was rebranded in 1992.

PSG are out to make history after ending their long wait to conquer Europe for the first time last year. It is the second time in as many seasons that the French giants have knocked out Liverpool, who were in search of another famous Champions League comeback and dominated PSG for periods.

“It is a real pleasure for me to know that my team is at that level and can play at that level, no matter who they are playing against,” said Luis Enrique, who is a two-time Champions League-winning coach, having triumphed with Barcelona as well.

“You can see what sort of team we are, what players I’ve got. We’ve got confidence and belief. It’s wonderful to be living this experience with this team.”

Dembele’s first goal ended Liverpool’s hopes — a left-footed shot from the edge of the area in the 72nd minute. His second came at the end of a sweeping move in stoppage time.

Dembele had been guilty of wasting chances in the first leg to effectively put the tie to bed, and he failed to capitalise on two more first-half opportunities to put the French champions further ahead at Anfield.

But his opening goal was dispatched with precision — nestling in the bottom corner. His second was a clinical finish from close range.

Liverpool had been dominated in Paris last week. But the Merseyside club know all about comebacks in this competition.

They were 3-0 down to AC Milan in the 2005 final and powered back to win on penalties. More recently, they routed Barcelona 4-0 in the 2019 semi-finals to overturn a 3-0 first-leg loss and go on to lift the trophy.

Anfield is famed for its white-hot atmosphere, especially on European nights, and the PSG team bus was greeted by red flares as it approached the ground. But inside, the French fans more than held their own — singing loudly in the away section as the home crowd seemed strangely subdued at times.

Liverpool had their chances despite losing Hugo Ekitike to an early injury. Virgil van Dijk was denied a first-half tap-in when Marquinhos pulled off a last-ditch block.

In the second half, belief among the home fans began to grow as Liverpool applied the pressure.

And a comeback looked on when referee Maurizio Mariani pointed to the spot for a foul by Willian Pacho on Alexis Mac Allister shortly after the hour.

With the score at 0-0, this was the chance to test PSG’s resolve. But celebrations soon turned to disappointment when the penalty was overturned after review.

“We are very disappointed because I think there were parts in the second half where you could just feel that, if we can score now, this is going to become a special night,” said Liverpool coach Arne Slot. “But the future looks very bright for this team, for this club, because we’ve shown that we can compete with the champions of Europe in our stadium.”