In the wake of a memorable evening at the Parc des Princes in Paris, former Liverpool star Jamie Carragher expressed his astonishment at the outcome of the match. „It is one of the greatest heists in football history. I can hardly believe my eyes. PSG was incredible; they completely dominated Liverpool,“ stated the former England defender during an interview with CBS, struggling to comprehend the fortunate 1-0 win for the English leaders against Paris Saint-Germain.
The statistics told a different story, as PSG outshot Liverpool 27 to 2 and controlled 70 percent of possession during the first leg of the Champions League Round of 16. However, one player stood out for Liverpool: Alisson Becker. The Brazilian goalkeeper made several crucial saves, stopping what seemed impossible with nine remarkable parries against the French champions.
„The Best in the World“
Liverpool’s coach, Arne Slot, praised Alisson’s performance, stating, „I have coached many great players, but never the best goalkeeper in the world – until today. He demonstrated that he is the best in the world. To leave here with a win is perhaps a bit more than we deserved.“
In 2018, Jürgen Klopp acquired the goalkeeper for approximately 75 million euros from AS Roma, a significant investment that paid off. With Alisson in goal, Liverpool addressed their weaknesses and subsequently won the Champions League in 2019, the Premier League in 2020, and the FA Cup in 2022.
However, Alisson’s saves were more essential than ever during the match on Wednesday night. „That was probably the best performance of my career,“ commented the goalkeeper, who was naturally awarded Man of the Match. Additionally, the 32-year-old initiated the winning goal by Harvey Elliott with a long clearance in the 87th minute.