The Parisians see off Liverpool in epic shoot-out to reach quarters!
Paris Saint-Germain are through to the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals after a statement win over Liverpool at Anfield.
A week after the bitter, slender defeat at the Parc des Princes, the Parisians headed to Anfield with the firm intention of turning the tie around in order to secure their place in the last eight.
Given his side's performance in the first leg, coach Luis Enrique made no changes to his starting XI. After seeing Safonov step in at Rennes, Donnaruamma returned in goal with Pacho and Marquinhos in front of him and Nuno Mendes and Hakimi as the full-backs. Viti, Ruiz and Neves were in midfield with Dembélé, Barcola and Kvara the attacking trio.
The Parisians expected to have to weather an early storm, and only a heroic block from Nuno Mendes (4') denied Salah the opening goal before the Liverpool forward curled one narrowly wide (6').
Solid and united, the Rouge-et-Bleu soon gave their more than 3000 travelling fans something to sing about when Dembélé sent Barcola clear before he returned the favour, sliding the ball across the face of goal. When Konaté could only block, Dembélé tapped home the loose ball to level up the aggregate score (0-1, 12').
The Reds continued pressing, but the Parisians stood firm, and created chances in transition. Kvara might have doubled his team's lead from a Dembélé cut-back, but whipped a curling shot just over the crossbar (34').
He tested Alisson in the hosts' goal shortly afterwards when he squeezed off a shot inside the penalty area (38') as the guests gave as good as they got.
Dembélé then fizzed a shot just wide (41') before half-time as only the offside flag then denied Liverpool an equaliser on the night shortly after the break (49').
Pacho and Donnarumma then came to the fore as Liverpool pushed (57') before Kvara blocked one on the line to deny Salah (62') as the Parisians' unbeaten away streak held.
Liverpool struck a post heading into the final quarter-hour before Donnarumma was put to the test by a series of crosses into box. He faced up to the challenge, and from a counter-attack, Dembélé teed up Kvara for another curling shot that just flashed wide (87') as the tie headed into extra-time.
Beraldo, who had come off the bench for Marquinhos, headed narrowly wide from a Doué cross just after the start of the additional period (92'), and Doué then sent an effort just beyond the post as Luis Enrique's men kept the tempo high (94').
A fine Alisson save thwarted Dembélé's improvised effort (109') before Doué then whisked a shot desperately close to the bottom corner (112'). But with the scores level after 120 minutes, it came down to a shoot-out...
It ended 4-1 in the Parisians' favour after Viti, Ramos, Dembélé and Doué all scored with Donnarumma saving two Liverpool penalties to secure a place in the quarter-finals and in Parisian fans' memories after an epic performance.