Dembélé Double Sends PSG Past Liverpool into Semi-Finals

Ousmane Dembélé scored twice as Paris Saint-Germain beat Liverpool FC 2-0 at Anfield on Tuesday night to seal a 4-0 aggregate win and reach the UEFA Champions League semi-finals.

The holders were in control of the tie and did not need to be at their very best to see off the English champions, booking a place in the last four for the third straight season.

Liverpool’s night was made worse by an injury to Hugo Ekitike, who was forced off in the first half with what looked like a serious leg problem. The injury could rule him out for the rest of the season.

Manager Arne Slot made a bold decision by leaving Mohamed Salah on the bench at the start, with Alexander Isak leading the attack. However, Salah came on early after Ekitike’s injury.

Liverpool had a few chances to score. Matvey Safonov made a fine save, while Marquinhos produced a strong block to deny Virgil van Dijk.

PSG also missed chances in the first half, with Dembélé and others unable to find the net. Giorgi Mamardashvili made a good recovery to stop one effort, while Dembélé fired over from close range.

Liverpool thought they had a chance to get back into the game when a penalty was awarded for a foul by Willian Pacho on Alexis Mac Allister, but VAR overturned the decision.

As Liverpool pushed forward late on, PSG struck on the counter. Dembélé opened the scoring in the 72nd minute with a fine left-footed finish from outside the box.

He then added his second goal in stoppage time, finishing calmly from a cross by Bradley Barcola to complete a comfortable win.

PSG will now face either Bayern Munich or Real Madrid in the semi-finals as they aim to defend their Champions League title.