Barça’s miracle is missing in Paris: Liverpool turn off Leipzig

In the second round of the second leg of the Champions League on Wednesday, there was no overthrow. Neither Barcelona against Paris Saint-Germain nor Leipzig against Liverpool can change things.

In other words: Paris Saint-Germain and Liverpool used the pads they had won in the first leg matches with wins of 4-1 and 2-0 respectively. PSG and Barcelona drew 1-1 in the second leg, while Liverpool again beat Leipzig 2-0.

FC Barcelona played in Paris by classes better than in the first leg and was unrecognizable. Only in the first half, the Catalans created chances for three or four goals. Lionel Messi scored his 120th goal in the Champions League with a powerful long-range shot to make it 1-1, but in first-half injury time he saw his free kick blocked by goalkeeper Keylor Navas through the crossbar. The 2: 1 could have released even more strength for the second half. Barcelona clearly dominated after the break, but the Paris Saint-Germain defense did not sink as often as in the first half. In the end, Barça did not come close to a turning point.

PSG went ahead by half an hour with a foul penalty imposed after consultation with the VAR against the course of the match. He hit Kylian Mbappé, who scored three goals in Barcelona. The 1: 0 changed little in terms of conditions, because Barcelona would have had to score at least four goals anyway to have a chance to progress.

It is up to the Barça crab in the highest category of European football who were eliminated from the Champions League in the first knockout round for the first time in 14 years. The low point, of course, will remain the semi-finals of last season for some time, which saw their biggest debacle at 2: 8 against Bayern Munich.

Liverpool more sovereign than in the League

Liverpool FC secured progress with goals from Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mané within four minutes of the second half. With Leipzig, second in the Bundesliga, the Reds had fewer problems in the two games played in Budapest than with any long-time Premier League rival. Coach Jürgen Klopp’s team has a chance to secure participation in the next Champions League through the Champions League itself, should it fall behind the top four in the championship. Xherdan Shaqiri spent the entire match on the bench.

Telegrams

Paris Saint-Germain – Barcelona 1: 1 (1: 1)

SR Taylor (ENG). – Tear: 30. Mbappé (penalty from a foul) 1-0. 37 Messi 1-1.

Paris Saint Germain: Navas; Florenzi (76. Dagba), Marquinhos, Kimpembe, Kurzawa (46. Diallo); Gueye (59. Danilo), Paredes, Verratti (84. Rafinha); Draxler (59. Di Maria), Icardi, Mbappé.

Barcelona: ter Stegen; Dest (66. lasts), Mingueza (35. Firpo), Lenglet, Jordi Alba; De Jong, Busquets (79. Moriba), Pedri (79. Pjanic); Messi, Griezmann, Dembélé (79. Braithwaite).

Observations: Paris Saint-Germain without Neymar, Bernat (both injured) and Kean (ill). Barcelona without Piqué, Coutinho, Fati and Roberto (all injured). 23. Navas directs Dest’s shot against the crossbar. 45. Navas directs Messi’s foul penalty to the crossbar.

Liverpool – Leipzig 2: 0 (0: 0)

Budapest. – SR Turpin (FRA). – Tear: 71. Incorrect 1: 0. 74. Mané 2: 0.

Liverpool: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Phillips, Kabak, Robertson (90. Tsimikas); Wijnaldum (82. Milner), Fabinho, Thiago Alcantara (72. Keita); Mané (90. Oxlade-Chamberlain), Jota (72. Origi), Salah.

Leipzig: Gulacsi; Adams, Mukiele, Upamecano, Klostermann, Nkunku; Elm (72. Haidara), Kampl (46. Sörloth), Sabitzer, Forsberg (60. Kluivert); Poulsen (60. Hwang).

Observations: Liverpool without Van Dijk, Firmino, Henderson, Matip, Gomez and Kelleher (all injured). Leipzig without Angeliño, Laimer and Szoboszlai (all injured).