Paris Saint-Germain v Liverpool (Champions League 2024-25)

UEFA Champions League

Paris Saint-Germain Liverpool 0 1
BBC Report UEFA Report
Event	2024–25 UEFA Champions League
Date	Wednesday 5 March 2025
Venue	Parc des Princes, Paris
Player of the Match	Alisson
Referee	Davide Massa (Italy)
Attendance	47,511
Weather	11 °C (51 °F) Humidity:54% Wind:16 km/ h
← PSG - Liverpool - PSG - Liverpool - →

Paris Saint-Germain v Liverpool was a match which took place at the Parc des Princes on Wednesday 5 March 2025.

Preview

A 10-0 aggregate win against French counterparts Brest made an emphatic statement of intent as Paris began their knockout phase campaign, but they must overcome the league phase's top performers to extend their journey further.

Liverpool have only been defeated once in this Champions League season, winning their other seven games, but Luis Enrique believes his team can add to that tally. "We're ready," said the Paris coach. "I feel confident we're going to enjoy this match." The sparkling form of his attackers gives reason for that optimism, with seven different goalscorers – a Champions League first – inspiring the second-leg victory against Brest.

That confident knockout phase play-off win, alongside a 4-2 league phase victory against Manchester City, has left Arne Slot in little doubt about the quality of the reigning French champions. "In Paris, we have drawn a team with real European pedigree," noted the Liverpool boss. "It is a challenge we will look forward to, knowing that we also fully deserve to be in the last 16."

His side narrowly defeated Lille in the league phase, but how will they fare against Ligue 1's frontrunners?

Match Report

Liverpool completed one of the biggest smash and grabs in Champions League history to come away from their last-16 first leg against Paris St-Germain with a win.

PSG completely dominated the game, with 27 shots, and Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson had to make nine saves.

But the hosts could not find an opener - and the Reds scored with their second shot of the night in the 87th minute.

Harvey Elliott netted with his first touch, after replacing Mohamed Salah, when he was picked out by Darwin Nunez.

Luis Enrique's side were shell shocked - and how they failed to score will go down as a mystery. Well, an Alisson-shaped mystery.

PSG forwards Ousmane Dembele and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia in particular were unplayable at times.

Kvaratskhelia had a fine goal in the first half rightly disallowed by the video assistant referee (VAR) for offside.

The VAR again sided with Liverpool, more controversially, when Ibrahima Konate avoided a red card despite shoving Bradley Barcola over just outside the box.

Liverpool will host the second leg next Tuesday.

Reds boss Arne Slot has enjoyed a magnificent first season in English football - with Liverpool losing just four games - and only one of them was with their first team in a match of significance.

The Premier League leaders and Carabao Cup finalists are usually the team punishing the opposition but for the first time they were blown away - in every aspect bar the scoreline.

Brazil goalkeeper Alisson was the reason they came away from the French capital still in the tie.

He pulled off sensational saves to deny a host of PSG players including Dembele (twice), Kvaratskhelia (four times) and substitute Desire Doue (twice).

The visitors had managed precisely one shot before the goal, Luis Diaz's off-target effort in the 44th minute.

But Elliott stunned the hosts 46 seconds after coming off the bench to replace top scorer Salah, who had a rare quiet night.

Alisson played a long ball up to Nunez, who controlled the ball and picked out Elliott in space. Gianluigi Donnarumma got a touch to his first-time strike but could not stop it settling in the bottom corner.

That goal now makes Liverpool favourites to set up a quarter-final tie with Aston Villa or Club Brugge.

Since their big-money Qatari takeover in 2011, PSG have flattered to deceive in the Champions League.

Just as it looks as if they are getting things together, it all goes wrong.

This one felt like it was going to be different.

The runaway Ligue 1 leaders had won their past 10 games and were unbeaten in 22 matches.

Previous collapses had come from trying to fit star names and big egos into a team - Kylian Mbappe, Neymar and Lionel Messi together comes to mind.

But this was a different PSG, more of a team with fewer true household names.

Dembele had scored 20 goals in his previous 14 matches. Some of his dribbles had the Reds defenders on toast, especially in the first half. Kvaratskhelia, a January signing from Napoli, was sublime when running with the ball too.

The hosts felt as if they were winning everything on Wednesday, quicker to every ball, and ending up with 70% possession.

Luis Enrique's team will point to the red card Parisian Konate could have been shown in the first half too.

But they were ultimately made to pay for not taking their chances - and now face a huge uphill task at Anfield in six days' time.

Match

Details

5 March 2025 21:00	Paris Saint-Germain	0–1	Liverpool	Parc des Princes, Paris Attendance: 47,511 Referee: Davide Massa (Italy)
		BBC Report UEFA Report	Elliott  87'

Paris Saint-Germain

Liverpool

01 Gianluigi Donnarumma 02 Achraf Hakimi 05 Marquinhos (c) 38' 51 William Pacho 25 Nuno Mendes 87 João Neves 17 Vitinha 08 Fabián Ruiz 78' 07 Khvicha Kvaratskhelia 78' 10 Ousmane Dembélé 29 Bradley Barcola 66' Substitutes: 03 Presnel Kimpembe 09 Gonçalo Ramos 78' 14 Désiré Doué 66' 19 Lee Kang-in 21 Lucas Hernández 24 Senny Mayulu 33 Warren Zaïre-Emery 78' 35 Lucas Beraldo 39 Matvey Safonov 49 Ibrahim Mbaye 80 Arnau Tenas Manager: Luis Enrique

01 Alisson 66 Trent Alexander-Arnold 05 Ibrahima Konaté 04 Virgil van Dijk (c) 70' 26 Andrew Robertson 38 Ryan Gravenberch 79' 10 Alexis Mac Allister 11 Mohamed Salah 86' 08 Dominik Szoboszlai 07 Luis Díaz 67' 20 Diogo Jota 67' Substitutes: 03 Wataru Endō 79' 09 Darwin Núñez 67' 14 Federico Chiesa 17 Curtis Jones 67' 19 Harvey Elliott 86' 21 Konstantinos Tsimikas 53 James McConnell 56 Vítězslav Jaroš 62 Caoimhín Kelleher 78 Jarell Quansah 98 Trey Nyoni Manager: Arne Slot

Match Stats

• Match Stats

Overall	Paris Saint-Germain	Liverpool
Goals scored	0	1
Total shots	27	2
Shots on target	10	1
Ball possession	71%	29%
Corner kicks	13	2
Fouls committed	3	7

See also

• 2024–25 UEFA Champions League
• 2nd Leg

External links

• Match report at BBC.co.uk
• Match report at UEFA.com