Liverpool can still qualify despite the hard lesson of Neymar and PSG | Soccer

The final is perhaps what Liverpool likes – a decision of the all-or-nothing Champions League, death or glory at Anfield – but not how they want it. Jürgen Klopp's team succumbed to a third consecutive away defeat in Group C, while Paris Saint-Germain played with that style to rekindle their chances of joining the European elite in eighths of final.

Inspired by Neymar, exasperating but sometimes unplayable, the French champions delivered an impressive performance before losing their way when James Milner reduced by half the lead of Juan Bernat and the most expensive footballer in the world. Liverpool insisted on an equalizer in the second half, but to no avail. Defeated in all three away matches for the first time in the group stage of the Champions League, Klopp's team must now defeat Napoli by a two-goal lead on Dec. 11 to preserve his interest in the competition that she cherishes. Carlo Ancelotti knows all too well, he is certainly not beyond Liverpool, but it will take a considerably improved European screen to avoid the rigors of the Europa League next year.

Tuchel had conceded that PSG had a mental difficulty in moving from domination in France, where it has won the last 14 national cup competitions and five of the last six league titles, to win in the Champions League. The same was perhaps true of himself in the face of the man he had managed in Mainz and Borussia Dortmund, Klopp having savored two decisive victories as manager as Liverpool manager against auto-implosive teams from Tuchel. Not here. The problems in Paris belonged exclusively to those in red until they were given a lifeline at the end of the first half.

The PSG coach, said Klopp, reportedly worked on a plan to avenge the 3-2 defeat at Anfield, seconds from Roberto Firmino's winner. It has materialized in an amazing 4-4-2 formation with Ángel Di María on the right and Neymar on the left. Not only did this allow the Brazilian space to wreak havoc on Liverpool's three-player pedestrian midfielder, but it also allowed Kylian Mbappé to preoccupy the opposing defense with his pace. With Marco Verratti imperial in the middle of the field and PSG in a whirlwind of white as they opened at a blazing speed, the visitors were besieged from the start. There was absolutely no surprise inside the Parc des Princes, where it was only 13 minutes late.

Verratti set the tone from the first whistle by giving Virgil van Dijk a superb ball that Edinson Cavani had not managed to accumulate with only Alisson to beat. It was the first of three chances that PSG had to grab behind Liverpool's back line in the first five minutes. Di María also forced Alisson to make a good save with a half-volley plunging to 20 yards before Juan Bernat, the left-back of the host, gives his team a deserved lead.

Neymar separating from the depths and Mbappé separating from Joe Gomez and Dejan Lovren was a recurring theme of the first half. The breakthrough comes from the center of Mbappé from the left. Van Dijk missed his attempt to clear the sky, Gomez and Lovren were slow to react, and Bernat intervened to cut his right foot and lead a low goal past the goalkeeper.

Verratti dictated the debates with style and with far too much freedom, but was lucky enough to avoid a red card for a high and late tackle that left Gomez writhing in pain. A yellow card was considered sufficient and the midfielder also sailed for almost a second when he cut Jordan Henderson. Liverpool improved slightly after the first goal, but was often overtaken in the middle of the field. They were two points behind when the Neymar-Mbappé combination again revealed the visitors' midfield. Neymar sent Mbappé on the left and, although Alisson managed to prevent Cavani from converting another Mbappé center, the rebound went perfectly for Neymar, who made no mistake after six meters. The kickoff was delayed by his overly elaborate celebrations.

Liverpool was passive and barely represented a threat for 45 minutes, but the hope was gifted when Di María conceded a penalty with a reckless challenge against Sadio Mané in injury time. Mané superbly invited the tackle, beating Marquinhos at the bottom of the PSG before embarking on a difficult race that escaped a defender before the Argentinian international sent him just to show off. 39, inside the surface. The referee Szymon Marciniak initially awarded a corner that was corrected only by the additional assistant behind the goal. Milner sent Gianluigi Buffon the wrong way from the penalty spot and Liverpool, out of nowhere, was back in the game.

PSG lamented the decision to sanction throughout the tunnel in the meantime. A coach sued the additional assistant referee with an iPad, showing a repeat of the incident. Their defense after the restart illustrated the destabilizing effect of Liverpool's goal and offered the Klopp team several opportunities to restore parity. Although regularly more numerous than PSG defenders, Buffon has rarely been tested. Firmino had a wide head and Mohamed Salah blocked a shot on the edge of the area. Local supporters began to agitate, and their anxiety was not helped when Marquinhos had a goal turned down for offside when converting a free kick after the restart.

Alisson also denied the converted midfielder when he met Neymar's corner with a high head that the Brazilian goalkeeper saved. Andy Robertson confided to Mbappé a superb challenge as he was preparing to shoot inside the box while PSG finished with confidence. Liverpool has everything to do on the last day, again.