PSG's wastefulness keeps Liverpool's hopes alive in Champions League
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PARIS, April 8 : Paris St Germain were left ruing missed chances that kept Liverpool in contention in their Champions League quarter-final despite a convincing 2-0 home win in Wednesday’s first leg, with the visitors admitting they had been in survival mode for long spells.
The defending champions prevailed thanks to goals by Desire Doue and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia but Ousmane Dembele and Nuno Mendes missed golden chances in the second half that would have virtually sent them into the semi-finals.
"We had clear chances to score more goals. We kept Liverpool alive, but we’re happy with the performance. We want to stick to the same approach — it’s what we’ve been doing for a long time," fullback Achraf Hakimi said.
Teammate Warren Zaire Emery, who with Joao Neves and Vitinha bossed the midfield, also regretted the missed opportunities.
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“We could have scored more goals, which is a shame. 2-0 is already good, but nothing is done. We’ll go there with the same intentions, looking to win the match,” he said.
“We’ll need to stay focused and do what we did here. We always try to prepare games the same way, playing as high up the pitch as possible. We had plenty of chances and should have put them away."
Coach Luis Enrique echoed the sentiment.
“It’s a shame, clearly. We put in a performance worthy of our supporters. We played very well and deserved more goals. But this is the Champions League. We’re happy, and there’s still the second leg to come,” he said.
TOUGH TASK AT ANFIELD
Liverpool took a cautious approach to the game with three centre backs in a five-man defence and it kept them afloat but they might struggle next week when PSG will be looking to punish them on the break.
Captain Virgil van Dijk was still hoping his side would be able to turn things around next week with the help of the Anfield faithful even though the task is daunting.
“We shouldn't forget that we play against the European champions of last season, and you see the quality they have, you see the games they've played already this season, even in the league, but also in the Champions League, and how good they can be - doesn't really matter away or home - so we have to be absolutely spot-on with everything we do,” he said.
“Hopefully our fans can play a big part in that as well. I've been to many special evenings at Anfield, and I'm very lucky and privileged, and our fans, that's the backbone of the club, and hopefully they can be there for us as well.”
Liverpool manager Arne Slot pointed to Liverpool’s history, and their supporters whom they "need more than ever" and last season’s last-16 tie — lost on penalties — as reasons to believe they can still progress.
Pressing high might not be the best way to proceed, he admitted.
"When we pressed them high we were ripped apart and it gave them five or six chances," he said.
"The second half of the game for us was more about surviving," he added, justifying keeping Mohamed Salah on the bench since the Egyptian striker would have been limited to defending.
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