Desire Doue ignites PSG's dominant victory, overshadowing a nightmarish performance from Liverpool's Ibrahima Konate.
The scorer of PSG's first goal against Liverpool, Desire Doue, was the standout performer for PSG at the Parc des Princes on Wednesday. He put Ibrahima Konate -- who had a very difficult night -- through the wringer.
Paris Saint-Germain perfectly lived up to their status as favorites on Wednesday in the Champions League quarterfinal first leg, dispatching Liverpool without breaking a sweat at the Parc des Princes (2-0). Despite the absences of Fabian Ruiz and Bradley Barcola, Luis Enrique's men got the job done. In attack, they could count on a Desire Doue at his best on a big European night.
Scoring in the opening 15 minutes, the French international -- positioned on the right flank but highly mobile -- brought out his finest performance against the Reds. With four shots in total, a 90% pass completion rate, three duels won, and, of course, a decisive goal to his name, he displayed a level very close to the one he showed at the end of last season.
Doue & Kvaratskhelia On Top, Dembele Struggles
"Desire Doue when the lights are on is really something," and "When it comes to performing in big matches, Desire Doue is the best young player in the world" were among the reactions on social media.
Among the standouts, it would be hard not to mention Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, once again decisive in a big Champions League match with a sublime goal to make it 2-0 late in the match.
Full-backs Nuno Mendes and Achraf Hakimi also appeared in outstanding form, as did Zaire-Emery, Joao Neves, and Vitinha in midfield. Active but ineffective, Ousmane Dembele was perhaps the weakest Parisian on the pitch on Wednesday evening.
Ibrahima Konate's Nightmare Game
On Liverpool's side, one man had an extremely difficult night: Ibrahima Konate. The Liverpool defender struggled enormously against the pace of PSG's attackers -- all of this under the eyes of all of France, with a month and a half to go before Didier Deschamps announces his World Cup roster.
Frequently beaten, as was his partner Virgil van Dijk, he could have conceded two penalties for Liverpool. The first was a tackle on Zaire-Emery that was ultimately ruled legitimate. The second for an arm clash with Nuno Mendes -- an incident the VAR ultimately did not overturn.
Hugo Ekitike, Isolated
"Do you think Konate will ever get a yellow card for the judo throws on Kvara?", "Warren Zaire-Emery beating Ibou Konate both in pace AND physical impact. A few minutes after his double contact between three Liverpool players, OK" and "Konate's level..." were among the reactions on X.
Gomes, Van Dijk, and Frimpong also failed to shine, as did Hugo Ekitike, hopelessly isolated up front in the Reds' very defensive 5-3-2 setup by an Arne Slot who is now under more pressure than ever.