Donnarumma’s Heroics Send PSG Through as Liverpool Bow Out of Champions League on Penalties

Paris Saint-Germain secured their spot in the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals with a thrilling 4-1 victory on penalties against Liverpool at Anfield, marking their first successful shootout in European outings.

Following a contentious first leg in the French capital, Arne Slot’s team unexpectedly entered the second leg with a 1-0 lead on aggregate.

In a lively start, the Reds demonstrated significantly more attacking ambition in the opening ten minutes than during the entirety of the first encounter. Nuno Mendes made an outstanding block to deny a shot from Mohamed Salah, who later embarked on a dazzling run but misfired his subsequent effort wide of the mark.

Despite Liverpool’s initial pressure, PSG struck a decisive blow when Ousmane Dembélé equalised on aggregate, erasing the Reds’ lead.

The forward linked up superbly with Bradley Barcola and benefited from a stroke of luck when Ibrahima Konaté’s attempt to intercept the ball inadvertently redirected it back into Dembélé’s path, allowing him to find the net.

Konaté attempted to redeem himself with a long-range effort, but Gianluigi Donnarumma was equal to it, parrying the shot to safety. Liverpool’s defensive weaknesses were on display as Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s curling shot deflected off Ryan Gravenberch, narrowly sailing over the crossbar after being set up by Dembélé.

After the break, Slot’s men emerged with a renewed intensity. Dominik Szoboszlai had a goal disallowed for offside, while Donnarumma made an exceptional one-handed save to deny Luis Díaz’s header from an Alexis Mac Allister corner.

Mac Allister’s set-pieces proved troublesome as another corner found Salah, whose close-range attempt was heroically cleared from the goal line by Kvaratskhelia.

With Liverpool continuing to attack, Jarell Quansah’s diving header from Andrew Robertson’s free-kick struck the woodwork – though an offside call would have disallowed the goal regardless.

PSG struggled to assert themselves in the match after halftime, but Kvaratskhelia reminded everyone of his capabilities with a speculative right-footed shot that just skimmed over the bar, leading to an additional 30 minutes of extra time.

The French champions came close to netting a second as Lucas Beraldo’s header from Kvaratskhelia’s cross missed by mere inches, while Désiré Doué also failed to find the target moments later.

As penalties loomed, Liverpool fans had ample reasons for optimism, given their record of four wins in five shootouts in UEFA competition. In contrast, PSG had lost their only previous European penalty shootout against Rangers in the 2001/02 UEFA Cup third round.

PSG gained the upper hand when Donnarumma saved from Darwin Nunez, and despite Curtis Jones being denied, Doué found the net to secure the Parisians’ progression to the last eight, where they will face either Club Brugge or Aston Villa.