The story of Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League was, until Tuesday, One of the failures. It was a decade and more collapses and accidents, unattended colossal expectations. These are megastars who have never frozen and supervice that were decaded, so much so that, in 2024, the Last of the stars on the left. And without them?
PSG on Tuesday proved that it was better.
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He amazed Liverpool with an early goal, erased an unlucky first -stage deficit and eliminated leaders from the Premier League of the Champions League. He won the second step 1-0 and won the link to penalties.
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The players who remained, who were once overshadowed by stars like Kylian Mbappé and Lionel Messi, buzzed around Anfield during an unforgettable night. They played with fire but also with a balance, and obtained the result that their domination in the front row deserved.
During this first stage last week, Liverpool's goalkeeper Alisson was huge. PSG surpassed the Reds 27-2 … and lost 1-0. Most players – most humans – have been demoralized by the result. Most fans who had known the decade of failure were likely: here we go again.
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But PSG's response was different. PSG players would have gone around their wardrobe and said they were: We will win next week. Because they had proven that night and confirmed on Tuesday once again, they are one of the best world teams.
Ousmane Dembélé, once marked a flop in several clubs, formerly renowned for his erratic finish, has scored his 24th goal of the last three months to put PSG in the 12th minute.
Liverpool threatened, constantly and struck the interior with two different positions, but the Parisians, for 120 minutes, kept strong.
And then they intervened in their penalties, unjustifiedly, to send Liverpool's packaging.
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Vittinha opened the shooting with a flucture and exceeded a pass in front of Alisson, as calm as possible.
Gonçalo Ramos, sent on the cold ground in time of additional time, then converted with ease.
Dembélé, freezing like never before, started his approach as a left football, then completed around the ball and marked with his right.
And Gianluigi Donnarumma, massive guardian but subject to the errors of PSG, denied Darwin Nuñez and Curtis Jones.
Désiré Doué, 19, finished work with the fourth kick of PSG. And a casting of new stars sprouts towards him. Dembélé jumped into the arms of head coach Luis Enrique, who organized the transformation of PSG of a Superteam into a good team.
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He empowered Dembélé, Achraf Hakimi and Nuno Mendes, Vitinha and Fabian Ruiz. He joined new signatures like William Pacho and João Neves. These are the new stars, those whose names were not widely known when they arrived in Paris last summer.
PSG lost its stars, but instead of falling from the Champions League, it began to write a new story with an upheaval of Liverpool on Tuesday. (Ap photo / Jon Super)
(Associated Press)
They did not replace Mbappé, who jumped at Real Madrid in June. But they allowed PSG to restart without him. They allowed a formidable press, a press in which Mbappé essentially refused to participate. And the result? PSG has still not lost in France this season.
Now he has survived Liverpool. He will probably get Aston Villa in the districts of the Champions League. He was struck off as a candidate a long time ago, but now he wrote a new story. It is a Reborn team, a team that strikes its stride at a timely moment, and which could absolutely do what Mbappé and Messi and Neymar have never done.
