Dembele scored a brace for PSG away at Anfield to secure the Parisians’ passage to the next round with a 4-0 aggregate scoreline.
By Kehinde Okeowo
Paris Saint-Germain striker Ousmane Dembele, defender Marquinhos, and goalkeeper Matvei Safonov have expressed their joy following their progression to the semi-final stage of the UEFA Champions League (UCL) at the expense of Premier League giants Liverpool.
The Parisians defeated the Reds 2-0 in the European fixture at Anfield on Tuesday night.
Dembele scored both goals of the encounter to send PSG through on a 4-0 aggregate win, following a 2-0 victory in the first leg last week in Paris.
Reacting to the elimination of the English outfit, the French forward told Prime Video that the victory demonstrated the squad’s hunger for silverware.
“We’re so happy that we were able to win this game because it was really difficult, especially in the second half.
“But we found a way to win, and we’re through to the semi-finals; we are delighted. I think we are at the same level [as last season]. We have this desire to win trophies – we will try to go all the way to the end and play our game until the conclusion of the competition,” Dembele said.
On his part, club captain Marquinhos noted that although Liverpool made the match difficult, PSG’s winning mentality saw them through.
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He told Canal+: “Liverpool used their strengths, but we were solid. Then we finally scored. You have to know how to do that and be strong when things get tough. We knew we hadn’t qualified after the first leg, so our mentality was strictly to win.”
Similarly, PSG shot-stopper Matvei Safonov admitted that he and his teammates faced a stern challenge despite the comfortable scoreline.
“We’re certainly very happy. It was a really tough match. We’re glad we managed to win in the end. We showed that we came here to win, which is important. It’s very emotional to be in the semi-finals; it’s a wonderful feeling,” he noted.
However, Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konate acknowledged that the French Ligue 1 champions were the superior side on the night.
He added that the team would learn from the encounter and rebuild to become more formidable going forward.
“We have to be happy because many players came back from injury, like [Alexander] Isak. PSG is a little bit better than last season, and to make a performance like that against them… We lost, but we have to build from that and realise how good we can be,” Konate concluded.
