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Despite dominating possession and creating a host of chances, Paris Saint-Germain were undone by a combination of wasteful finishing and an inspired performance from Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker. As a result, PSG’s quest for Champions League glory suffered a major setback as they fell 1-0 to Liverpool in the first leg of their Round of 16 clash at the Parc des Princes.
While the Parisians put up a good fight by controlling the match for large periods and dictating the tempo, they still had a ways to go if they planned to beat the Reds in the second leg. For one, PSG needed to work on their composure and accuracy when presented with an opportunity to score, a flaw that had proved critical in the first leg.
For fans who placed bets on the second leg at an online sportsbook, understanding the dynamics of both teams was a vital part of making predictions, with PSG ultimately turning the tide in their favor. And as predicted, PSG came into the second leg with a determination to rectify their first-leg mistakes, where they were once again able to dictate the game’s tempo and create a plethora of scoring chances. Ousmane Dembélé, PSG’s striker, impressed with an early goal, which helped to level the tie’s aggregate score. This was a pleasant surprise, as it fulfilled the expectation that PSG could find a way past Liverpool’s defense and produce a historic comeback to overturn their deficit. However, the recurring theme of wasteful finishing plagued them throughout the match.
The first leg had PSG feeling aggrieved, having had a goal disallowed by VAR and believing they should have had a penalty. However, they only had themselves to blame for not converting their chances when presented with another opportunity in the second leg. In both legs, Alisson was a formidable obstacle, making crucial saves and disrupting PSG’s rhythm. While it seemed like more effort was made to better understand Becker’s positioning and tendencies for the second leg, it ultimately didn’t translate into more goals. Despite this, the Parisians were able to turn things around with a penalty shoot-out that was ultimately decided by Dembélé, therefore taking the entire tie.
Liverpool, on the other hand, came in extremely confident in finishing the job at home, because they had a slender lead. Heavily dependent on their experience and quality, and attempting to use it to their advantage to help see out the tie, their defensive resilience and clinical finishing had been key during the first leg. The Reds were unable to replicate that performance at Anfield.
However, they put up a good fight in an attempt to defend their lead and potentially extend it on the counter-attack. But ultimately, PSG walked away victorious with an impressive upset.
Now that PSG pulled off a remarkable comeback, will they be able to keep their Champions League title dreams alive?