For a long time, Paris Saint-Germain were seen as hopefuls who choked when it mattered the most.
It’s a tag they have been carrying since the Qatar-backed oil money flowed into Parc des Princes.
Whether it was the infamous meltdown against Barcelona at Camp Nou eight years ago on March 8, 2017, or against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu on a March evening three years ago, PSG were always at the receiving end.
But with what they did on Tuesday against Liverpool at Anfield, PSG have come of age, exorcising the ghosts of the past.
Trailing 0-1 after the first leg, Luis Enrique’s men came to Liverpool with very few giving them a chance. After all, it’s Anfield and the runaway Premier League leaders hardly lose there.
But PSG had other ideas. Not only did they soak in the pressure in the first 20 minutes, they took the lead through Ousmane Dembele, who is finally doing justice to the loads of talent that he has.
The defence stood firm, be it the 23-year-old central defender Willian Pacho or the one year younger Portuguese left-back Nuno Mendes. And then there was the 26-year-old goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Mendes took care of Mohamed Salah, who was hardly given any room. Pacho threw himself at everything and Donnarumma was unbeatable. Saves after saves during 120 minutes of intense action and then in the penalty shootout Donnarumma denied Darwin Nunez and Curtis Jones.
One-all on aggregate, 4-1 in the penalty shootout. PSG were through to the quarters beating a team which had topped the 36-team league phase.
Donnarumma is a real big-moment player when it comes to penalties. Remember how he stopped England in the Euro 2020 final penalty shootout at the Wembley? “Some things never change,” a mocking Italy national team shared on X a photo of that July 2021 night on Tuesday.
“My team showed great personality and character at Anfield. We tried to play our best, but it was difficult as they’re so intense. Even when we shoot at the penalty shootout, they showed great character. I think it shows clearly the team we are,” Enrique was spot-on at the post-match news conference.
PSG, in their bid for glory in Europe, had splurged on big names for the past few years. Neymar, Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi, the global superstars. It helped them sell shirts worldwide, but success was elusive.
Once they realised to rule Europe they needed to build a team and not just bank on superstars, Enrique was entrusted with the job of making a unit which would give their all for the team’s cause.
Mbappe left for Real Madrid last summer and that was a blessing in disguise for the Spanish manager. This season he has formed a tough unit which knows who the real boss is. So Dembele is a born-again player revelling in his role as a hitman, Mendes is turning into a fantastic left-back, Vitinha at the centre of the park is in a class of his own and Joao Neves, all of 20, is making the world sit up and take notice.
“In the locker room, now everybody can breathe. Enrique is trying to build an identity within this team where everyone believes everyone is as important as the other player. When Messi, Neymar and Mbappe were there, it was too many alpha animals. They claimed their space and the others found it difficult to breathe,” former Germany coach Juergen Klinsmann told ESPN FC during a post-match discussion.
Klinsmann had hit the nail on the head. On Tuesday, Liverpool just did not know how to deal with PSG’s intensity and doggedness that was missing during the French club’s doomed galactico era.
Liverpool’s defence has been found wanting in some matches and Tuesday was no different. Ibrahima Konate left too much space for Dembele to exploit. After the goal, Dembele had managed to break free again but Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker rushed out just in time to avert danger.
Under Enrique, there is less noise and more action. PSG now are contenders for the title. It may not happen, but they are on the right track.
