PSG into Champions League semis

Double goal hero Ousmane Dembele hailed his Paris Saint-Germain teammates for holding on under pressure and in difficult conditions to beat Liverpool 2-0 at Anfield on Tuesday in the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final and reach the last four with a 4-0 aggregate triumph. "It is the quarter-finals of the Champions League, in a stadium like this, and even though we won 2-0 in the first leg we knew it was going to be difficult," Dembele told broadcaster Canal Plus. "In any case there are no easy matches in the Champions League. You have to suffer if you are going to go all the way in this competition." Reigning champions PSG had a 2-0 advantage from last week's first leg and had to withstand long spells of pressure in the second half in particular, with Liverpool having a total of 21 attempts on goal on a wet and windy night. Dembele opened the scoring in the 72nd minute before wrapping up PSG's win on the night, and passage to the semis, in stoppage time. They will play either Real Madrid or Bayern Munich in the last four, with a first leg in Paris on April 28 and the second leg a week later. "We had chances in the first half. I thought we controlled the game in the first half but it was more complicated in the second half, albeit that's normal because this is the Champions League," said last year's Ballon d'Or winner Dembele. "There are only good teams in this competition but we have come away from this tie with two wins so that's great." Third year running in semis Dembele missed much of the first half of the season due to injury but his double against Liverpool leaves him on 16 goals for the campaign in all competitions, including 12 in 2026. "I want to help the team in every match, whether that be by scoring a goal, setting up a goal or just pressing the goalkeeper," added the 28-year-old France forward. "I try to give my maximum for Paris Saint-Germain and I hope to have a very, very good end to the season because there are big games to come." PSG have now reached the Champions League semi-finals three years in a row since Luis Enrique became coach in 2023, having got that far just three times in their history before his arrival. "Today I am very proud because especially in the first half we controlled the match, playing the game in the opposition half which is very difficult to do in a stadium like this and in this atmosphere," said the Spaniard. "We did have to suffer in the second half as we knew we would, but we did what we had to do without the ball. "We knew that sooner rather than later we would have chances on the break and we would score. I think over the two games we deserve to be through." Meanwhile, Luis Enrique said he was not yet aware of the extent of the injuries suffered by left-back Nuno Mendes and forward Desire Doue, both of whom had to come off. "I am not a doctor, but it is normal in a game of this intensity to have some problems. We will wait until tomorrow to see exactly what they have."  Slot in the firing line Mohamed Salah's glorious Liverpool career will have an anti-climactic end after Paris Saint-Germain swatted aside Arne Slot's men in a meek Champions League exit that will ensure a trophyless season for the Reds. Ousmane Dembele struck twice as for the second consecutive season Liverpool were eliminated by the French champions on their own turf. Last season there was at least pride in bowing out only on penalties to the side that would go on to win the Champions League. Just over 12 months on, there was a chasm between the teams over two legs as PSG won 2-0 at Anfield on Tuesday to progress 4-0 on aggregate without even having to hit top gear. Fresh from winning the Premier League in Slot's debut season, Liverpool embarked on a £450 million ($605 million) splurge in the transfer window that was supposed to build on the club's rise back to the top of the English and European game during Jurgen Klopp's tenure. But the campaign began with tragedy when Diogo Jota died in a car accident on his way back for pre-season training. How much the emotional toll of losing a treasured team-mate has played since cannot by quantified. But a shambolic season on the field has left Slot's position in serious jeopardy and already had consequences for the squad. Salah has brought the curtain down on his time on Merseyside a year early after signing a two-year deal just 12 months ago. The Egyptian, who unleashed an explosive tirade towards Slot in December for being dropped, started on the bench for both legs against PSG.