PSG put on a show as Barcelona are eliminated by Atletico in the Champions League quarter-finals

(AFP) A superior Paris Saint-Germain, with another 2-0 win over Liverpool, this time at Anfield with a brace from Ousmane Dembele, and Atletico, survives at home to Barcelona (2-1 defeat, 2-0 win first leg), advanced to the Champions League semi-finals on Tuesday.

In Liverpool, both goals in the rain were scored by Golden Ball winner Dembélé; first with a left-footed shot from the halfway line of the box (72'), before finishing an empty net after a pass from Bradley Barcola (90+1') on a Parisian counter-attack.

Reds without a title

"It's the quarters, in a stadium like this, and even though we won 2-0 in the first leg we knew it was going to be difficult. In any case you have to suffer if you want to go all the way in this competition," said Dembélé.

As they did last season, when they ended up lifting the first Champions League title in their history, PSG hit full stride in the European spring as the decisive stage arrives.

"I am very proud because especially in the first half we controlled the game, playing in the opposition half, which is very difficult in a stadium with this atmosphere," said Paris coach Luis Enrique.

PSG played a serious game against the reigning Premier League champions, in which legend Mohamed Salah was a substitute - he came on in the 30th minute because of the apparently serious injury to Frenchman Hugo Ekitiké - and now awaits a semi-final opponent, which will be known on Wednesday at the end of the Bayern Munich-Real Madrid game (2-1 first leg for the Germans).

"Ekitiké hurt himself badly, it's a pretty serious injury, I don't know if he'll play again this season," Reds coach Arne Slot said.

The biggest scare for the visitors came midway through the second half, when the referee pointed to the penalty spot for a foul by Ecuadorian center back Willian Pacho on Argentina's Alexis Mac Allister. Although the VAR review determined that the contact was not sufficiently intense.

With this new disappointment Liverpool will close the season without titles and Slot's continuity is compromised with the fans asking for their former midfielder Xabi Alonso to sit on the bench.

Yamal and Ferran are not enough

At the Metropolitano stadium, in a thrilling duel, Atletico made good their win at Camp Nou with a sweet defeat against a Barcelona that, as in the first leg, again ended with ten players after Eric Garcia was sent off (79').

The blaugranas looked to be on track for the comeback with goals from Lamine Yamal (4') and Ferrán Torres ('24), but Ademola Lookman's goal ('31) gave Atlético the lead.

"We are very happy. To eliminate Barça with the level they are at.... Today it cost us at the beginning but the team knew how to overcome. The effort has been enormous and we are fair winners of the tie," summed up the local captain Koke.

The opinion was not shared by the azulgrana coach Hansi Flick: "We had a fantastic first half.... It's very disappointing for everyone. When you look at both games, we deserved to reach the semifinal."

Diego Simeone's team will meet in the semifinals the winner of the tie to be completed on Wednesday between Sporting Portugal and Arsenal, who will defend the 1-0 win in Lisbon last week at home.

Musso makes Oblak forget

The rojiblancos return to the Champions League semifinals for the first time since 2017 when they fell to Real Madrid, eventual winners of the tournament.

Their great rival also defeated them in the Champions League finals of 2014 and 2016, with Simeone as their manager.

Their European pass will serve the rojiblancos to gain morale ahead of the Copa del Rey final which they will play on Saturday against Real Sociedad.

Barcelona came up against an excellent performance by Argentine goalkeeper Juan Musso, with a handful of interventions that made them forget the usual starter, Jan Oblak, on the bench after his injury.

Uruguayan Ronald Araujo, who had come on as a striker in the final stretch, had a last-ditch header but missed the target (90+7').