Paris Saint-Germain’s grip on the Champions League trophy remains strong.
The defending champions advanced to the semifinals of European club football’s biggest competition by dumping out six-time winner Liverpool this morning.
A 2-0 win at Anfield sealed a 4-0 aggregate victory and moved PSG a step closer to becoming only the second club to retain the trophy in the modern era after all-time king of Europe Real Madrid.
“It’s difficult to defend the Champions League, we know that,” said coach Luis Enrique. “We are here again, and we need to make the most of these opportunities.”
Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Debele scored two second-half goals to kill off Liverpool’s fight and book a semifinal clash against either Bayern Munich or Real Madrid.
Meanwhile, at Metropolitano Stadium in Madrid, Atletico Madrid players were back on the field to celebrate their win over Spanish rivals Barcelona.
They chanted along with the fans and jumped and danced among themselves.
Diego Simeone’s team held on after an early charge by Barcelona to make it back to the semifinals of the Champions League for the first time in nearly a decade.
Atletico lost 2-1 but advanced 3-2 on aggregate after having won the first leg 2-0 in Barcelona last week. It will be the team's first last-four appearance in the European competition since 2017.
“To play in a Champions League semifinal, how nice, how nice...” said Simeone, who was visibly moved after the thrilling back-and-forth game.
“It’s been 14 years and honestly, seeing the team still competing really moves me," Simeone said. "The players have changed, we’ve had to start over many times and yet here we are again among the top four in Europe.”
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