For years, the affluent owners of Paris Saint-Germain have endeavored to make the club at the “Parc des Princes” attractive to a global audience, envisioning a team that garners admiration, plays with flair and excitement, and captivates fans during “Saints'” matches…

Big-name stars arrived, including Zlatan Ibrahimovic, David Beckham, Angel Di Maria, and later the likes of Lionel Messi, Neymar, and Kylian Mbappé, who developed into some of the finest players on the planet. However, few truly embraced PSG.

When the veteran stars departed and Mbappé moved to Real Madrid, a new generation under the guidance of coach Luis Enrique achieved what their predecessors could not.

Paris Saint-Germain continues to impress this year, achieving success on multiple fronts and knocking Liverpool out of the Champions League after two matches – a team that was poised to become champions of England, one that was not deterred by Real Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen, Milan, or Manchester City this season…

“It is clear that Luis Enrique is creating something extraordinary there, and I hope they maintain this momentum and win the Champions League,” wrote Luis Styles of the English “Daily Mail”.

Superheroes

What stands out is the youthfulness of the team at “Princess Park” – Ousmane Dembele, finally recognized among the best globally, at just 27 years old, alongside midfield maestro Vitinha (25), Khviča Kvaratškelia (24), with special mentions for Bradley Barcola (22), Nuno Mendes (22), Joao Neves (20), Vilijan Paćo (23), Dezir Due (19), and Varen Zaire-Emery (17).

Even the more seasoned players are still quite young: Gianluigi Donnarumma (26), Ashraf Hakimi (26), and Marquinhos (30).

23.7

is the average age of Paris Saint-Germain – making them the second youngest team in the knockout stages of the Champions League.

“Superheroes” captures the essence of the excitement that France feels towards the success of the “Saints” and their victory at “Anfield” on the cover of “L’Equipe”.

The captain of Liverpool also commended his opponents.

“It was the best team we faced this year; Luis Enrique has truly assembled a top team,” Virgil van Dijk stated.

Donnarumma – England’s Nightmare

PSG displayed remarkable prowess in the first match, despite facing defeat. They then expertly withstood Liverpool’s potent attacks at Enfidha, scored a crucial goal in extra time, and posed a persistent threat…

However, when it came to a penalty shootout, the result seemed predictable – largely due to one individual, Gianluigi Donnarumma.

The English fans vividly remember him “saving” penalties during the final of the 2021 European Championship. Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, and Bukayo Saka felt his dominance at “Wembley”, another iconic football venue, and now he did it again at “Anfield”.

He thwarted penalty kicks from Darwin Núñez and Curtis Jones, concluding one of the most remarkable chapters in the history of Paris Saint-Germain.

Throughout his career, he has faced 103 penalty kicks, saving 24, resulting in a save percentage of 31.3% while in the Italy jersey, 21% with Milan, and 24% at PSG.

“Anfield” is no longer intimidating

“Anfield” has historically been a fortress for Liverpool, even propelling them to an epic comeback against Barcelona in 2019, but that trend has faltered in recent years.

In their last seven Champions League knockout matches at home, Liverpool has managed just one victory – that against Villarreal in the 2022 semi-finals.

They either drew or lost all others – against Atletico Madrid (2:3), Real Madrid (0:0 and 2:5), Inter (0:1), Benfica (3:3), and now PSG (0:1).

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