UCL: PSG triumphs over Liverpool in penalty shootout to secure last spot

Paris Saint-Germain edged past Liverpool in a dramatic penalty shootout, winning 4-1 after a thrilling 1-0 victory at Anfield in the second leg of their UEFA Champions League last-16 clash.

Ousmane Dembélé’s early goal leveled the aggregate score at 1-1 before PSG sealed the tie with clinical finishing from the spot.

Gianluigi Donnarumma emerged as the hero for PSG, denying Darwin Núñez and Curtis Jones in the shootout, while the French giants converted all their penalties.

The Ligue 1 leaders, still chasing their first Champions League title, will now face either Aston Villa or Club Brugge in the quarter-finals, with Villa holding a 3-1 advantage ahead of their second-leg fixture.

Dembélé’s goal in the 12th minute silenced the Anfield crowd, capitalizing on a defensive error after Ibrahima Konaté inadvertently deflected Bradley Barcola’s effort into the path of the PSG forward, who made no mistake in finishing into an empty net.

Despite Liverpool’s relentless attacking pressure, PSG held firm to take the game to penalties, where they emerged victorious.

The goal was the earliest Premier League-leading Liverpool had conceded at Anfield in the Champions League since September 2017 against Sevilla.

Arne Slot’s team played considerably better than a week earlier — when they needed a last-gasp goal from substitute Harvey Elliott after the Parisians had dominated and Reds talisman Mohamed Salah had a shot blocked on the goal line by Nuno Mendes in the game’s first few minutes.