Arne Slot ‘shocked’ as Liverpool crash out of Champions League on penalties to PSG

Liverpool head coach Arne Slot admits there was a sense of shock they were knocked out of the Uefa Champions League by Paris Saint-Germain on penalties.

The Reds held a 1-0 advantage from last week's first leg, largely due to the excellence of goalkeeper Alisson Becker, but quickly found themselves behind at Anfield to an Ousmane Dembele goal.

Slot said it was difficult to separate the two teams after 90 minutes and while he accepted the Ligue 1 champions edged extra time the 4-1 defeat on penalties, with Gianluigi Donnarumma saving from Darwin Nunez and Curtis Jones, still felt harsh.

“Of course it is shock,” the Liverpool boss said. “It is maybe not the moment to tell them now but two seasons ago we went out to Real [Madrid] after losing 5-2 at home so if you have to go out, go out the way we did against one of the best teams in Europe and making such a fight.

“I hope every fan around the world was hoping this game wouldn’t stop because it was incredible.

“Two teams had an incredible level and intensity in the first 25 minutes. I also remember the first 25 against Manchester City and Real Madrid but this was unbelievable what we showed in the first 25.

“Over 90 minutes I don’t think we deserved to lose, over 180 maybe it was deserved we went to extra time.

“In extra time I thought maybe PSG was better than us. Then it comes down to penalties and they scored four.”

"It was a great performance. We really deserved to go through over the two legs, hands down," PSG captain Marquinhos told Canal Plus.

PSG will play either Aston Villa or Club Brugge in the next stage.

Kane inspires Bayern victory

Harry Kane inspired Bayern Munich to a 2-0 win at the home of German rivals Bayer Leverkusen.

The England captain scored and assisted at the BayArena, adding to his two goals from the comprehensive 3-0 first-leg victory in Munich.

"From the first minute we didn't want to be a team that dropped off and tried to defend the lead," Kane told Amazon Prime.

"In the second half we knew they had to come out and try something and we punished them."

With the match scoreless at half time, Bayer pushed to try and get a foothold in the tie in the final 45 minutes.

But it was Kane who tapped in from a lofted Joshua Kimmich cross in the 52nd minute to kill off the tie.

Alphonso Davies made it a rout over both legs with 19 minutes remaining as he drove home a chipped pass from Kane.

"We didn't lose the tie today," said Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso. "We made it too difficult for ourselves in the return leg."

Yamal and Raphinha shine for Barca

Lamine Yamal and Raphinha dazzled as Barcelona thumped Benfica 3-1, reaching the Champions League quarter-finals 4-1 on aggregate.

Raphinha netted either side of a stunning Yamal strike as the Catalans dominated in the first half, building on their 1-0 last 16, first leg win in Lisbon.

Hansi Flick's side will face Borussia Dortmund or Lille in the quarter-finals as they aim to win the competition for the first time since 2015.

"We are candidates to win everything," Raphinha told Movistar, with the club in the hunt for a potential treble.

Teenage sensation Yamal created the opener on 11 minutes with a mazy run before his mishit shot picked Raphinha out perfectly as the Brazilian ghosted in at the far post.

Nicolas Otamendi struck back instantly for Benfica when he forced a header past Wojciech Szczesny in the 13th minute.

Yamal restored Barca's two-goal buffer 14 minutes later, cutting in from the right flank and arching an unstoppable effort into the far, top corner.

Raphinha then put the tie to bed three minutes before the interval with a blistering left-footed finish following excellent work by Alejandro Balde.

The build-up to the match at the Olympic Stadium was overshadowed by the sudden death last Saturday of Barcelona club doctor Carles Minarro, and the players observed a silence in his honour before kick off.

"We won for us and Carles is always with us ... he always has a place [here]," said Flick.

Italian champions Inter also progressed through the last 16 with a 4-1 aggregate victory.

Strikes by Marcus Thuram and Hakan Calhanoglu, either side of a Feyenoord consolation scored by Jakub Moder, gave them a 2-1 win at the San Siro.

Thuram's fierce eighth-minute strike put the Nerazzurri into a commanding 3-0 aggregate lead, before Moder and Calhanoglu both scored from the spot shortly before and after the interval.