Paris St Germain showed why they are the reigning champions of Europe, coach Luis Enrique said, after his side completed a commanding 4-0 aggregate victory over Liverpool on Tuesday to reach the Champions League semifinals.
PSG were pushed for spells at Anfield, particularly in the second half, but Ousmane Dembele struck twice after the break as Luis Enrique’s men won 2-0 to again demonstrate the belief and resilience that are hallmarks of their European campaign.
Luis Enrique said defending the trophy remained one of football’s toughest challenges, but his team had earned the right to compete among Europe’s elite once more.
“It’s difficult to defend the Champions League, we know that,” he said. “But we’re here again and we need to make the most of these opportunities.”
Asked whether PSG carry an “aura” as holders, Luis Enrique pointed instead to the confidence and belief within the squad.
“I don’t know, it’s difficult to judge that,” he said. “But it’s a real pleasure for me to know my team is at that level and can play at that level no matter who they’re playing against.
It took us longer to do that than I would have liked, but as soon as we scored the first goal, that changed things. I think we managed the match very well
— Luis Enrique, Paris St Germain coach
“You can see what sort of team we are. We’ve got a lot of belief and a lot of confidence, and the supporters express that belief as well.”
Luis Enrique said Liverpool’s need to chase the tie after trailing 2-0 from the first leg played into PSG’s hands, even if it took time to fully capitalise.
“They had to take a lot of risks and that meant we could load the counter-attack and kill the match off,” he said. “It took us longer to do that than I would have liked, but as soon as we scored the first goal, that changed things. I think we managed the match very well.”
PSG will face either Real Madrid or Bayern Munich, who meet on Wednesday with the Germans leading 2-1, in the semifinals.
Asked if he had a preference, Luis Enrique said: “If I say one team, we’ll end up playing the other team. I’ll have a glass in my hand, I’ll be watching the game between Real Madrid and Bayern Munich — but it doesn’t matter, we deserve to be there and we’re going to make the most of it with our supporters.”
Slot rues missed chances
Liverpool manager Arne Slot said the loss again laid bare a season-long struggle to turn chances into goals.
Despite enjoying 53% possession and having 21 attempts to PSG’s 12 and eight corners to the visitors’ two, it was PSG who found the net as Ousmane Dembele struck twice in the second half to confirm the defending champions’ place in the semifinals.
“Unfortunately it’s one of the many examples of this season where we weren’t able to score from the many chances we had,” Slot said. “Again, we were so far underperforming in terms of xG (expected goals of 1.94), and that is an ongoing thing with us throughout the whole season.”
Slot also pointed to a contentious VAR decision that saw a penalty given for a foul on Alexis Mac Allister overturned and a potentially serious injury to France forward Hugo Ekitike, adding to Liverpool’s sense of disappointment on the night.
“Another intervention of the VAR which was not in our favour, and that’s also not for the first time this season,” he said. “Then of course we are very disappointed, because I think there were parts in the second half where you could feel that if we can score now, this is going to become a special night.”
Slot handed a first start to Alexander Isak since the Sweden international suffered a broken leg in December and said the striker’s return underlined what his team have missed.
“He was twice close to a goal, and that’s why you play a striker of his level,” the Dutch coach said. “If I thought he wasn’t ready, I wouldn’t have played him.”
Reuters
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