Paris Saint-Germain are heading to the Champions League semi-finals. Ousmane Dembélé scored twice at Anfield on Wednesday morning to secure a 2-0 victory over Liverpool. The defending champions won the quarter-final tie 4-0 on aggregate.
Liverpool are officially out of European sports competition. The defeat crushes their 2026 campaign. It drastically heightens the pressure on Arne Slot’s squad to salvage a top-five Premier League finish to ensure a financial return to the tournament next year.
PSG broke Liverpool’s momentum in a chaotic second half. The pivotal moment arrived when a penalty awarded for a foul on Alexis Mac Allister was overturned following a VAR review. Anfield deflated. Dembélé capitalized immediately.
He found the net in the 72nd minute. He struck again deep into stoppage time to bury the tie.
The night turned grim early for the English side. Forward Hugo Ekitiké suffered a severe non-contact injury. He left the pitch on a stretcher. He is suspected to have ruptured his Achilles, according to Fox Sports.
Slot expressed deep disappointment over the reversed penalty decision. He insisted his team’s future “looks very bright” despite the exit. PSG coach Luis Enrique praised his squad. He highlighted their elite execution in high-pressure environments, detailed in a report by the Associated Press.
The Historical Weight of Back-to-Back Titles
PSG are now directly chasing history. They are aiming to become only the second club in the modern era to retain the Champions League trophy. Real Madrid hold that exclusive milestone from their 2016-2018 run.
This marks the second consecutive season PSG has knocked Liverpool out of the tournament, a fact The Guardian verified in their post-match breakdown. The French giants will face either Bayern Munich or Real Madrid in the upcoming semi-finals.