Both Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain chase a semifinal berth after reaching the last four last season, while PSG are targeting their fifth trip to the semifinals in seven years



Paris Saint-Germain and Atletico Madrid emerged with decisive victories in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals on Wednesday, each pocketing a two goal lead that could prove valuable in next week's second legs against Liverpool and Barcelona, respectively.

Barcelona were on the front foot from start to finish but failed to score against Atleti as Juan Musso put up seven saves at the Camp Nou. Their defense once again cost them the game, firstly as Pau Cubarsi was called for a tackle near the box that saw him sent off just before halftime. Julian Alvarez scored directly from a freekick Atleti won in the process, while Barcelona's attacking might could not stop the visitors from scoring a second in their only second half shot courtesy of Alexander Sorloth.

Paris Saint-Germain, meanwhile, reaped the rewards for their high intensity style with a 2-0 win over Liverpool. Desire Doue scored 11 minutes in and while the Reds tried to disrupt PSG's momentum, the efforts proved futile. They looked fatigued around the hour mark, paving the way for Khvicha Kvaratskhelia's second half goal.

The teams resume play on Tuesday, with Liverpool hosting PSG and Atleti welcoming Barcelona with a spot in the semifinals on the line.

Wednesday's results
Paris Saint-Germain 2, Liverpool 0
Barcelona 0, Atletico Madrid 2

Tuesday's results
Real Madrid 1, Bayern Munich 2
Sporting Lisbon 0, Arsenal 1

Barcelona's defensive struggles persist
A simple glance at the statistics of Barcelona's clash with Atletico Madrid would make it seem as if LaLiga's leaders got the job done – they outshot the visitors 17 to five, generating 1.16 expected goals to Atleti's 0.45 along the way, their pursuit of goals rarely wavering over the course of the 90 minutes. Yet, Barcelona's defense was once again the story for all the wrong reasons, Hansi Flick's side once again unable to strike the balance between an all-out attacking strategy with any resilience in the back.

Even if there is an argument to be made that Cubarsi's red card was harsh, he arguably invited the referee to make that call with a tackle near the goal. It was a game plan that actually suited Atleti well, the visitors patiently waiting for their opportunities as Barcelona admirably but unsuccessfully pushed forward even with a man disadvantage.

Though they are not out of the tie, the outing acts as a stark warning that Barcelona may not have the goods to win their first Champions League title in over a decade. A day after Bayern Munich displayed a similar high-intensity approach, Barcelona reinforced why squad balance is the all-important foundation to reaching the highest levels with such an approach. Flick's side are unlikely to go down without a fight but now have gone 14 Champions League games without a clean sheet, which has been costly to an endlessly entertaining but ambitious side.

Are Liverpool doomed?
Liverpool decided to tackle the problem of facing an attack-minded Paris Saint-Germain by introducing a relatively new system with five players at the back, one that seemed far too new for the talent on the pitch against a team of PSG's qualities, even if there was some merit to the attempt. It was the theme of the day for the Reds – there were a lot of valiant attempts to disrupt PSG's rhythm but nothing came of it, their exit from the Champions League looking likely even if the scoreline is not insurmountable.

They tried to respond to PSG's preference of being on the front foot by slowing the game down with set pieces and other dead-ball situations but by the hour mark, the team looked out of energy. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia's goal was relatively easy work as a result and PSG were perhaps unlucky not to score at least one more before the final whistle blew.

How exactly Liverpool dig themselves out of the hole is unclear, even if it is obvious that coach Arne Slot needs to go back to the drawing board. Personnel choices will also be of note, especially after the Reds mustered just three shots and put zero on frame. Alexander Isak officially returned to play with a substitute appearance in Paris, his first minutes since sustaining a leg fracture on Dec. 20 while Mohamed Salah sat on the bench for 90 minutes.

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