 |
| Source=Paris Saint-Germain |
|
 |
| AFP Yonhap News |
|
After five years, Anfield's nightmare' has been reproduced, and Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)'s first Ballon d'Or challenge is likely to end in nothing.
Liverpool (England) ended the regular period with a 0-1 defeat against Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in the second leg of the round of 16 of the 2024-2025 European Champions League (UCL) at Anfield in Liverpool, England, on the 12th (Korea time) by giving up the first run to Usman Dembele in the 12th minute of the first half.
Liverpool, which had an advantage with a 1-0 win in the first leg away, faced extra time with a 1-1 tie in the first and second games, and failed to advance to the quarterfinals as Darwin Núñez and Curtis Jones lost 1-4 in the penalty shootout. PSG's gatekeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma made a thrilling defense on the day. As a result, Liverpool's first attempt to win the title in six years since the 2018-2019 season when it defeated Europe ended early.
The shock was even greater because it was a loss at Anfield, not at any other stadium. Liverpool lost 0-1 at home in the league against Nottingham Forest in September last year and was unbeaten (17 wins and 2 draws) at home for 19 consecutive games, including the Cup, before the match against PSG. During that period, Chelsea, Leverkusen, Real Madrid, Manchester City, Tottenham, and Wolverhampton were sacrificed.
Liverpool beat Tottenham and won the UCL in the semi-finals of the 2018-2019 season, turning the score of 0-3 away in the first round to 4-0 at home in the second round, leaving a big resonance with the combined score of 4-3 'Anfield Miracle'.
However, he has experienced two nightmares at Anfield since the day he made Lionel Messi (Barcelona at the time).
Liverpool missed the round of 16 in the 2019-2020 season when they participated as defending champions. Liverpool, who returned from a 0-1 loss to Atletico Madrid in the first leg of the round of 16, was Giorgio in the 43rd minute of the second half Wijnaldum's equalizer brought the game to extra time. Liverpool, which led by Roberto Firmino's additional goal in the fourth minute of the first half of extra time, equalized Marcos Llorente in the seventh minute of the first half of extra time, and dedicated a comeback goal to Llorente in the first minute of extra time. In the first minute of extra time in the second half of extra time, Alvaro Morata scored a goal to seal Liverpool's elimination. Atletico, which won the combined score 4-2, won the quarterfinals.
After the last championship, the Champions League's performance is in the round of 16, 8, 16, and 16. In the 2022-2023 season, they met Real Madrid in the round of 16 and lost 2-6 in total. He has maintained good momentum enough to virtually confirm the championship by leading the Premier League alone this season, but was 2% short of reaching the quarterfinals in the Champions League.
Salah, who is in his second heyday with 32 goals (27 in the league), including the Cup this season, failed to prevent his team from being eliminated in the Champions League with only three goals. In particular, he was silent in both of his last-16 matches against PSG. The decisive shot in front of the gate was blocked by PSG fullback Nunu Mendes. With the elimination of the Champions, the possibility of winning the Ballon d'Or in 2025 has decreased.
On the other hand, PSG advanced to the quarterfinals for two consecutive seasons with a thrilling turnaround. In the 2023-2024 season, he dramatically beat Barcelona in the quarterfinals and reached the semifinals, but lost to Borussia Dortmund unfortunately and failed to advance to the final. Lee Kang-in, who moved to PSG from Mallorca in the summer of 2023, will reach the quarterfinals of the 'Stars' Stage' for two consecutive seasons.
Lee Kang-in replaced Khvicha Kravatskhelia in the 11th minute of the first half of extra time and played on the ground for about 19 minutes. In the transfer market in January, Hvitsa left Naples to join PSG, and Dembele, Bradley Barcola and Fabian Lewis maintained their peak form, narrowing their position sharply.
However, apart from Lee Kang-in's reduced playing time, PSG has transformed into a 180-degree different team from the first half. In the first half, they lost to Arsenal (0-2 loss), Atletico Madrid (1-2 loss), and Bayern Munich (0-1 loss), and managed to pass the group stage in a slump that drew with PSV Eindhoven (1-1 draw). During this period, Lee Kang-in's zero-top, which was used by head coach Luis Enrique, did not have much effect.
The Khvicha-Dembele-Barcola three-top, which entered 2025, is showing sharper performance as it exerts its power. In the UCL Knockout Playoff, he defeated Brest 10-0 overall in the first and second games and secured a ticket to the round of 16. In Ligue 1, the team has virtually confirmed its victory with six consecutive wins and no losses in the season. A disappointing time has passed for Lee Kang-in, but Lee Kang-in's sacrifice in the current team seems inevitable.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
