PSG beat Liverpool as Champions League defense keeps pace

Paris Saint-Germain’s UEFA Champions League defense remains on track following a clear 2-0 win against Liverpool in the first leg of their quarter-final.

The hosts took the lead on Wednesday thanks to a deflected shot, when Desire Doue’s shot from outside the area beat the defenseless Giorgi Mamardashvili.

The Reds have long been out of title defense in the English Premier League this season and are left with only the Champions League as their slim hope of silverware. However, Arne Slot’s team responded to the Parisians’ success until the half-time whistle.

The second period was a very different affair and all too familiar to Liverpool fans this season. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia deservedly doubled their lead in the 65th minute when the Georgia international dribbled into the area before rounding the goalkeeper.

The hosts made 18 shots, including six on target. Liverpool managed just three attempts on target with no one on target in response.

“We should be grateful that we only lost 2-0; they had so many chances. It’s great for us to still be level,” Liverpool manager Arne Slot said.

“They had a lot of ball and incredible pace everywhere. We pressed, but they were able to play through us.”

The Reds, beaten 4-0 by ⁠Manchester City in the ⁠FA Cup quarter-finals last weekend, lined up cautiously, with three central defenders and Mohamed ‌Salah on the bench, but struggled to contain a PSG team that ‌mixed ‌patient possession with bursts of attacking intensity.

It wasn’t a great start for Luis Enrique’s side in the French capital, despite relentless passing and a 74% possession share. But their performance in the second half was a huge improvement over the first half.

Achraf Hakimi’s 82nd-minute strike was one of the biggest moments in settling the tie, but he drew a fine save from Mamardashvili, low to his left, to keep his side with a chance as the teams head to Anfield for the return leg next Tuesday.

There was little the Reds goalkeeper could do but hope when Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembele produced a moment of brilliance two minutes from time when he exchanged a one-two with substitute Lee Kang-In in the area only to see his ferocious shot bounce off the post.

“I’m not happy about losing, but we have another game next week,” Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk told TNT Sports.

“We had some opportunities to counter, but we didn’t do it very well. Hopefully we can do much better, especially in possession, at Anfield next week.

“We have to produce a special performance next week. You can see the quality they have and how good they can be. We have to be absolutely precise in everything we do.”

It was Liverpool’s fourth consecutive away defeat, the Merseyside club’s first since April 2012.

The winner will face either Real Madrid or Bayern Munich in the next round, with the latter leading 2-1 after the first leg of their quarter-final in the Spanish capital on Tuesday. [Al Jazeera]

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