Julius OkoriePremier League table toppers, Liverpool, grabbed a slim advantage over PSG in the Champions League round of 16 play-offs on Wednesday night.
The Reds left it late at the Parc des Princes (Paris) to score the only goal of the encounter, thanks to Harvey Ellott’s 87th minute strike. He had received a timely assist from Uruguay international, Darwin Núñez, and did not hesitate to nail it to hand Liverpool a 1-0 advantage going into the return leg billed for Anfield March 11.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelPSG dominated possessions in the ratio of 70.5% to 29.5% but it was the visitors that ran away with the slender victory.
Despite the victory, Liverpool will need to dig deep if they are to avoid table turning scenario in the return leg.
It was a standout performance for Liverpool goalkeeper, Alisson Becker,who made a record nine saves against avalanche of raids from PSG.
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When asked if that was his best performance of the season, Alisson replied: “Probably of my life.
“The manager told us how hard it would be and we had to be ready to suffer. They have so much quality. We gave away so many chances but in the end with Harvey coming in and scoring the goal, it’s unbelievable. A great story! A great night.
“They’re a really good team. Hopefully we can play a better game in the second game at home. We have to recognise the quality in the PSG team, having the ball, creating chances. It was a tough night but a happy end.”
Elsewhere, Barcelona grabbed a lone goal against Benfica and return leg promises to be a tough one for Benfica at the Nou Camp.
Bayern Munich enjoyed a superb performance against fellow Bundesliga side, Bayer Leverkusen with a 3-0 victory.
Consolidation will be the name of the game when they visit Leverkusen in the second leg play-off. Harry Kane grabbed a brace in the encounter, after opening scoring as early as the 9th minute, after enjoying a time assist from Michael Olise.
Nigeria born Germany international, Jamal Musiala, contributed a 54th minute goal to increase Bayern Munich’s goal tally.
And rounding off the first leg of the two legged play-offs, Inter Milan appears to have cemented their move to the next round after 2-0 win away to Dutch side Feyenoord.
Inter did not only dominate possessions but also made it happen with a deserved win. It remains to be seen how Feyenoord who performed below par at home will turn the table in the return leg away.
Julius Okorie is Chief Sports and Entertainment Correspondent for Prime Business Africa. He began his journalism career with the Champion Newspaper and Sporting Champion and later moved on to Daily Independent and the Nation Newspapers. Okorie joined Prime Business Africa in 2024 bringing on board 20 years of experience in writing investigative news on Sports and Entertainment. His well researched and highly informative articles on Sports Business and general entertainment are followed by a wide range of audience.
