VAN DIJK URGES DARWIN NUNEZ AND CURTIS JONES TO MOVE PAST PENALTY HEARTBREAK

Virgil van Dijk has urged Darwin Nunez and Curtis Jones to put their penalty shootout heartbreak behind them after Liverpool’s defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League. The Reds’ hopes of winning a seventh European title and completing a potential treble this season were dashed after they were knocked out at home by PSG, who triumphed 4-1 in the shootout after a 1-1 draw on aggregate.

The match, which ended 1-1 after extra time, had started with Harvey Elliott’s crucial 1-0 win in Paris. Ousmane Dembélé’s first-half goal leveled the tie at Anfield, and with neither team finding a winner in extra time, the game went to penalties. Unfortunately for Liverpool, Nunez and Jones both had their spot-kicks saved by PSG’s Gianluigi Donnarumma, while PSG converted all their penalties, securing their place in the Champions League quarter-finals.

Liverpool’s defeat leaves them to reflect on missed chances throughout the match. Mohamed Salah, in particular, had two great opportunities before Dembélé’s equalizer, while the Reds were unable to capitalize on other chances during the 90 minutes. With their treble hopes now over, Liverpool will turn their attention to the Carabao Cup final against Newcastle on Sunday, and Van Dijk was keen to lift the spirits of his teammates, especially Nunez and Jones, who were visibly disappointed after their penalty misses.

“It was a very intense great game of football, I think to be part of it as well,” Van Dijk told Amazon Prime Video. “It was totally there for Liverpool and what we showed in Paris, and unfortunately, we’re out on penalties and that is the reality. I think in the first half, we created dangerous moments, and they have the quality as well, and then it comes down to penalties.”

Van Dijk encouraged his teammates to stay positive despite the setback, emphasizing the importance of focusing on the next challenge. “It’s part of football. I said to the guys, obviously, you can be disappointed because we’re out of the competition, but chin up and get ready for the next challenge, a beautiful one on the weekend.”

The Liverpool captain also praised the team’s overall performance, acknowledging the difficulty of facing PSG in such an important tie. “I think we were pretty good today as well, and you want to go as far as possible, but we knew when we drew PSG it was going to be very difficult. We saw in Paris when we struggled but we won, and today we saw a very good Liverpool side, but we’re out of the competition.”

Van Dijk concluded, “Today from the first second and then extra time, when fatigue kicks in for both sides, it becomes more open. But especially regular time, we showed a very good game. We can speak about the game for ages but we’re out of the competition, that is the reality.”

With their European dreams dashed, Liverpool now shifts focus to their domestic ambitions, and Van Dijk is determined to help lead the team to silverware, starting with the Carabao Cup final.