Virgil van Dijk responds when asked about Liverpool duo who missed penalties in their shootout loss to PSG
Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has reacted to teammates Darwin Nunez and Curtis Jones following their missed penalties against PSG. The Reds crashed out of the UEFA Champions League in the Round of 16 stage after a 4-1 defeat to PSG on penalties.
Following a 1-0 win at the Parc des Princes last week, Liverpool needed to avoid defeat in front of their fans at a packed Anfield to continue their UEFA Champions League journey. The Reds faltered as Luis Enrique's young side proved to be no pushovers, scoring and keeping a clean sheet to take the game to extra-time, and penalties. The French side were perfect from 12 yards, while Nunez and Jones missed their respective attempts.
Speaking with Amazon after the game, Reds captain van Dijk pointed out that he had encouraged the pair who missed from the spot. He revealed that he tried to rally them to get their heads up and prepare for the Carabao Cup final on Sunday.
“It's part of football. I said to the boys, chin up. Get ready for the next challenge, a beautiful one at the weekend.”
Darwin Nunez and Curtis Jones were introduced off the bench in the second half for the Reds. They had a tough act to follow in the shootout, after Mohamed Salah had blasted an effort into the top corner, and failed to do so.
Liverpool will now turn their attention to the Carabao Cup final against Newcastle United, with a chance to claim a first piece of silverware under Arne Slot. PSG, on the other hand, will face either Aston Villa or Club Brugge in the quarterfinals of the competition.
PSG eliminate Liverpool to march on in UCL
French champions PSG claimed an unlikely win over Liverpool in their UEFA Champions League Round of 16 clash to book a quarterfinal spot. Les Parisiens won 4-1 on penalties after claiming a 1-0 win at Anfield as the match ended 1-1 on aggregate.
Ousmane Dembele opened the scoring for the French side after 12 minutes, tapping home after a desperate lunge from Ibrahima Konate took the ball away from Alisson. Both sides tried and failed to score in what remained of regulation time, and the same ensued over the 30-minute extra-time period.
PSG managed to score all four penalties they attempted, and goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma was their hero in the shootout. The Italian goalkeeper kept out efforts from Darwin Nunez and Curtis Jones to help his side claim a vital win away from home.
