On Wednesday evening, Paris Saint-Germain lost 0-1 (video highlights PSG/Liverpool) against Liverpool in the first leg of the Champions League 2024-2025 Round of 16 (return on Tuesday March 11) at the Parc des Princes. Here are our top and bottom stories.
Tops –
A great team performance
Rarely have we seen Liverpool suffer so much on a soccer pitch in recent weeks. PSG smothered their opponents and were better in “almost” every area of the game. This PSG has made its mark.
Vitinha – He has all the makings of a great player
A metronome, he controlled everything in this match. He even collected a lot of balls, and clearly, if PSG had won the match, he’d have been the best player of the match, or one of the best. He showed that size isn’t everything.
Kvratskhelia – Growing up
A logically timid start, we saw that in this match, it was already in the past. He did some great things, with some fine shots and a worrying presence for Liverpool. Unfortunately, he didn’t score, although he could have. It was a frustrating match, but it’s clear that PSG have some great assets, and Kvaratskhelia is one of them.
Flops –
Nuno Mendes drops his marker, Donnarumma fails to get the ball out
Concentration for 94 minutes 30 seconds isn’t enough for 95 minutes, and Nuno Mendes, despite his otherwise great game, wasted it all with a wait-and-see attitude. As for Donnarumma, he lost his chance not to be criticized. He didn’t score a goal that could have been avoided on a great night.
Defeat, return to Anfield
PSG certainly deserved better, but you can’t win soccer without scoring goals. It’s time for this team to get over the last few small hurdles that separate it from the highest level. At this stage of the competition, to dominate such a fine Liverpool team is encouraging, but not to score means PSG still have a lot of work to do.
