Champions League: Paris Saint-Germain beats Liverpool and advances to the semi-finals

Dembélé, who had already scored on that occasion, struck again with the visitors’ first shot of the second half (72nd minute, 1-0), at a time when the French defense was struggling against the Reds’ attacking waves.

The Ballon d’Or winner sealed the victory in stoppage time to complete the rout for the visitors, who were as clinical as ever (90+1, 2-0).

PSG will play either Harry Kane’s Bayern Munich or Kylian Mbappé’s Real Madrid in their third consecutive semi-final, their fifth in seven seasons, which speaks volumes about their current position at the top of the continental hierarchy.

On Tuesday, Luis Enrique’s team wasn’t the juggernaut they were in the first leg (2-0), as they had a two-goal cushion to rely on and a much more spirited Liverpool side to contend with.

Doué and Ekitiké injured

She calmly carried out her duties until halftime, in the rain, wind, and chants of a noisy and boisterous Anfield stadium, ready to erupt with every half-chance and tackle.

Ibrahima Konaté’s save, from a good cross by Joao Neves (43rd minute), showed that the Reds’ defense was ready for the battle, but it also symbolized the balance of danger, which favored PSG.

Dembélé had already forced Giorgi Mamardashvili to punch away an attempted lob (10th minute), and then the Frenchman had an equally valuable opportunity with a close-range shot on the turn that went well over the bar (17th minute).

Defensively, the visitors didn’t face many scares, apart from a dangerous ball cleared with his left hand by Matvey Safonov, who had a fine overall performance, and then a decisive save by Marquinhos against Virgil van Dijk (31st minute).

But the pressure increased considerably in the second half, and they held their breath when the referee awarded a penalty against Willian Pacho (65th minute), then breathed a sigh of relief when the referee overturned his decision, after reviewing the video replay.

The biggest setbacks, ultimately, came from the injuries to defender Nuno Mendes and winger Désiré Doué, on either side of halftime.

But Lucas Hernandez stepped up to replace the Portuguese full-back against a formidable opponent, Mohamed Salah.

The Egyptian started the match on the bench, as he had in the first leg, before manager Arne Slot was forced to bring him on early to replace Hugo Ekitiké, who was stretchered off.

The French striker injured himself, landing awkwardly, apparently his Achilles tendon, and his World Cup dream may well have vanished.

Salah failed to recapture his former magic, and the 33-year-old winger bid farewell to the Champions League with Liverpool, a club he will leave at the end of the season.