Team cohesion trumps solo brilliance as PSG impress in Champions League

PARIS : Paris St Germain finally banked on team cohesion rather than relying on individual brilliance to fulfil their European ambition and it paid off as they knocked out odds-on favourites Liverpool in the Champions League last 16 on Tuesday.

PSG were beaten 1-0 at the Parc des Princes after dominating the first leg throughout, but they survived the Anfield storm to prevail 1-0 in the second leg before going through on penalties.

With Kylian Mbappe moving to Real Madrid in the close season and following a frustrating league phase in the Champions League, few would have bet that PSG would emerge as top contenders after the winter break.

However, Liverpool coach Arne Slot had warned that Luis Enrique's side were the best on the continent and that appeared to be the case, even if the Reds' defeat at Anfield was as undeserved as their victory in Paris.

"Over the two legs we deserved to go through. Football does not always acknowledge merit, but tonight I'm happy we qualified because we deserved it," PSG captain Marquinhos said.

"We have a team with young players, we want to build on them," president Nasser Al-Khelaifi said.

"I would have said the same thing if we had not gone through the league phase, and if we had been eliminated tonight. We've got the best coach in the world, with technically gifted players."

Luis Enrique's possession game and intense pressing is more lethal than PSG have been used to in the past and they did exactly that when Ousmane Dembele scored the only goal with a soft touch at the end of a counter attack.

While Liverpool had Alisson to thank for keeping a clean sheet in the first leg, it was Gianluigi Donnarumma, whose soft hand allowed Harvey Elliott to score the winner in Paris, who played a key role