Champions League Roundup: PSG dumps Barca out in the round of 16; Liverpool ease through to qualify

PSG survived an early Barcelona siege in the first-half, where Lionel Messi scored but missed a penalty, to draw 1-1 and move on to the last 8 of the Champions League, 5-2 on aggregate.

Barca needed to score four unreplied goals for the tie to swing in their favour in Paris and they surely started the match like a team capable of producing them with Ousmane Dembele wasting some glorious chances early on.

However, it was PSG who opened the scoring when referee Antony Taylor awarded a penalty for Clement Lenglet’s foul on Mauro Icardi. Kylian Mbappe slotted home for the French side to go one up.

The French youngster also became the youngest player in Champions League history to reach 25 goals in the competition, taking the mantle from Messi.

Despite falling behind, Barcelona kept believing and scored a thunderous equaliser through Lionel Messi but that hope faded away when his penalty was saved by Keylor Navas just before half-time.

The Spanish giants needed three second-half goals to force extra-time but PSG were much better organised after the break and restricted Messi’s influence on the game.

This will be the first Champions League season without a Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo side in the quarter-finals since 2004/05.

PSG will find out their opponents in the last eight on Friday, March 19 when the draw is made.

Watch the highlights of the match below

Stats and facts from the match (Backed by Opta)

• After a run of three consecutive last 16 eliminations from 2016-17 to 2018-19, Paris Saint-Germain have reached the quarter-finals and beyond in consecutive campaigns.
• Barcelona have failed to reach the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals for the first time since 2006-07 when they were eliminated by Liverpool in the last 16; they were on a run of 13 consecutive quarter-final appearances, the longest such run in the competition’s history.
• There were 21 shots in the first half of this match, the most in the first half of a UEFA Champions League match since November 2019 (Real Madrid vs Paris Saint-Germain, 22); the second half featured only seven shots this evening.
• Barcelona had 10 shots on target in this match, their most in a UEFA Champions League game they failed to win since March 2010 against Arsenal (also 10).
• Messi failed to convert a penalty in the UEFA Champions League for the fourth time, and the first time since February 2015 against Manchester City (saved by Joe Hart).

Liverpool 2-0 RB Leipzig (Agg: 4-0): The Reds reach the last 8 of the Champions League

Liverpool overcame their Premier League struggles and went on to beat RB Leipzig 2-0 at the Puskas Arena to secure a 4-0 aggregate win and a place in the Champions League quarter-finals.

Jurgen Klopp’s side, who suffered a sixth straight home defeat at the hands of Fulham on Sunday, continued their difficulties in front of goal during the first half against their German opponent, missing a host of chances.

However, the missed opportunities didn’t prove costly as two goals in four second-half minutes from Mohamed Salah (70) and Sadio Mane (74) secured a last 8 spot for the Premier League holders.

Watch the highlights of the match below

Stats and facts from the match (Backed by Opta)

• Liverpool remain unbeaten in their last 12 meetings with German opponents in all European competition (W9 D3) since a 2-4 loss to Bayer 04 Leverkusen in April 2002.
• Liverpool won both legs of a UEFA Champions League two-legged knockout tie while also keeping a clean sheet in each leg for the first time since the 2008-09 last 16 v Real Madrid.
• Only Cristiano Ronaldo (13) has scored more knockout goals in the UEFA Champions League since Sadio Mané’s debut season with Liverpool in the competition in 2017-18 than the Senegalese international (12).
• Since Alisson made his UEFA Champions League debut in September 2017, the Brazilian has kept more clean sheets in the competition than any other goalkeeper (16).
• RB Leipzig have lost back-to-back games in European competition for only the second time (also November 2018), and the first time in the UEFA Champions League.