Liverpool's Champions League journey ended in heartbreak as Paris Saint-Germain prevailed in a dramatic penalty shootout after a captivating two-legged tie.
PSG's 1-0 victory at Anfield on Tuesday, courtesy of an Ousmane Dembele goal, levelled the aggregate score after Liverpool's 1-0 win in Paris.
"It's a shock, of course," Liverpool manager Arne Slot admitted in his post-match interview, "but if we had to go out, it was against one of Europe's best, in what was an incredible match."
Slot also described the game as "the best game of football I've ever been involved in."
Tense penalties
The decisive shootout saw PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma deny Darwin Nunez and Curtis Jones, while PSG converted all four of their penalties, securing a 4-1 victory.
Atalanta's coach Gian Piero Gasperini had said Lookman was not supposed to take the penalty.
Despite the Champions League exit, Liverpool's season remains strong. They lead the Premier League and are set to face Newcastle United in the League Cup final on Sunday.
Liverpool entered the knockout stage as favourites, having won seven of their eight group-stage matches. However, Slot had cautioned against complacency, noting that topping the group didn't guarantee an easy path.
"We can be proud of our performance," Slot stated. "We impressed Europe. But we were unlucky to draw Paris Saint-Germain. To win this competition, you have to beat teams like them."
Paris St Germain boss Luis Enrique said both his team and Liverpool deserved a berth in the Champions League quarterfinals, such was the terrific, nail-biting battle between the two sides in the competition's last-16.
The Spaniard beamed with pride about how his squad rallied from being a goal down after last week's first leg to dispatch Premier League-leading Liverpool 4-1 in a penalty shootout at Anfield on Tuesday.
"Both of the teams deserved to go to the next phase, they play better than us here, but I think my team at Anfield, in a special stadium, showed great personality and character," Enrique said.
