A goal from Dembélé and the saves from Donnarumma turn the tie around for Luis Enrique’s team
Bayern Munich and Inter will face each other after overcoming Bayer Leverkusen and Feyenoord
Paris Saint-Germain has secured a spot in the Champions League quarterfinals after defeating Liverpool in Anfield in a penalty shootout (0-1, 4-1 on penalties) with Gianluigi Donnarumma playing a key role, while Bayern Munich and Inter Milan will meet in the next round after beating Bayer Leverkusen (0-2) and Feyenoord (2-1) respectively.
After their 0-1 victory at the Parc des Princes gave them an advantage in the tie, the ‘reds’ tried to surprise right from the start at Anfield with a shot from Mohamed Salah that was blocked by Nuno Mendes when Donnarumma was beaten. Virgil van Dijk and Dominik Szoboszlai also tried to make an impact in that early surge, but it was Luis Enrique’s team that struck first.
It was in the 12th minute when Ousmane Dembélé passed to Bradley Barcola, who returned the ball in the area for the French forward to take advantage of the lack of communication between Ibrahima Konaté and Alisson, allowing him to tap the ball into the back of the net.
Barcola himself could have increased the lead in a one-on-one situation shortly after, but the goalkeeper of the English team prevented the goal. Meanwhile, Arne Slot’s side struggled to create chances and barely troubled Donnarumma for the rest of the first half.
Just after the restart, Szoboszlai managed to score in a play that was disallowed for an offside by Luis Diaz, kicking off a series of opportunities for the ‘reds’. Willian Pacho, in the 57th minute, made a dangerous shot that could have leveled the score, and shortly after Donnarumma made a crucial save to deny a header from Diogo Jota.
The woodwork also denied Jarell Quansah’s header in the 79th minute, and despite the English team’s late pressure, the match inevitably headed towards extra time, which started with two clear chances for Lucas Beraldo and Désiré Doué.
Fatigue and nerves started to show at Anfield, with everyone holding their breath when, in the 109th minute, Dembélé headed towards the opponent’s goal and shot towards the far post; Alisson, with his fingertips, deflected the ball to save his team. Shortly after, Doué hit the post to come close to scoring for PSG, who also saw Kang-in Lee’s shot saved by Alisson.
After extra time and the 0-1 scoreline that negated the 0-1 result in Paris, everything had to be settled in a penalty shootout. Vitinha, the standout player for the French team during the 120 minutes, opened the shootout with a low shot that the English team’s goalkeeper couldn’t reach, and Salah responded by scoring. Gonçalo Ramos also found the net with his penalty, before Darwin Núñez missed his attempt. Dembélé scored, and Curtis Jones missed for the ‘reds’. Doué stepped up to take the final penalty and set up a clash between PSG and either Aston Villa or Bruges.
BAYERN MUNICH-INTER, QUARTERFINAL SHOWDOWN
At the BayArena, Bayern Munich secured their spot in the Champions League quarterfinals with another victory over Bayer Leverkusen, this time 0-2, after a convincing win in the first leg.
In a first half marked by the shoulder injury to Mario Hermoso, Bayern had the better chances against a Bayer side that barely troubled young goalkeeper Jonas Urbig, except for a header from Patrik Schick that went just wide.
A handball by Lukas Hradecky on the goal line denied Harry Kane a goal in the fourth minute, and Kane threatened again with a shot from outside the box that forced another save from the Finnish goalkeeper. A left-footed shot from Michael Olise also came close to opening the scoring, but it brushed the post.
Kane, in the second half, broke the deadlock by pouncing on a clearance after a set-piece taken by Joshua Kimmich; the English forward controlled the ball and placed it into the far corner, out of reach of the local goalkeeper (min.52). In the 70th minute, Alphonso Davies sealed the match and the tie by volleying home a cross from Kane.
As a result, Vincent Kompany’s side will face Inter Milan in the quarterfinals, with Inter overcoming Feyenoord (2-1) after their 2-0 win in the first leg in the Netherlands. Marcus Thuram put the ‘neroazzurro’ team ahead in the eighth minute with a thunderous strike from outside the box into the top corner, but the Dutch side managed to equalize before halftime.
In the 38th minute, Hakan Çalhanoglu brought down Jakub Moder in the box and the referee, after consulting VAR, awarded a penalty, which the Polish midfielder successfully converted to make it 1-1. Another penalty, this time in favor of Inter for a foul by Thomas Beelen on Mehdi Taremi, allowed Çalhanoglu to redeem himself, converting the spot-kick past Yann Sommer (min.51).
