Virgil van Dijk expressed no grievances following Liverpool’s exit from the Champions League after a defeat to reigning champions Paris Saint-Germain, a game made worse by a significant injury to Hugo Ekitike.
Ousmane Dembele’s brace secured a 2-0 victory for PSG in the second leg of the quarter-final against a Liverpool side that struggled to keep pace on Tuesday.
The six-time European champions Liverpool were fortunate to still be in the contest after narrowly escaping last week’s first leg with a 2-0 defeat, a match where Reds manager Arne Slot described his team’s performance as being in “survival mode”.
Although Liverpool showed considerable improvement compared to the first leg, it offered little solace to club captain Van Dijk, who responded to suggestions that his team had at least fought valiantly on home turf by saying: “That’s the bare minimum, isn’t it?”
“It’s disappointing to be eliminated, but PSG were deserving of progress.”
“Merely knocking on the door isn’t sufficient. I’m frustrated that we’ve been knocked out, but that’s the reality. I genuinely believe PSG earned their advancement based on the two matches.”
The defeat on Tuesday effectively dashed any remaining hopes Liverpool had of securing silverware this season and also seemed to mark a premature end to Ekitike’s inaugural season at Anfield.
The 23-year-old forward, who has netted 17 goals in 45 appearances across all competitions since transferring from Eintracht Frankfurt, was poised to join France for this summer’s World Cup.
However, he was stretchered off after sustaining an awkward fall in the first half, with Slot indicating that the injury appeared “really severe” and would require further assessment on Wednesday.
Liverpool had not yet confirmed the seriousness of the injury by Wednesday following reports suggesting that the striker might have ruptured his Achilles tendon, which could potentially sideline him for at least nine months.
With Alexander Isak now back to full fitness, he is expected to spearhead Liverpool’s attack against Everton in the upcoming Merseyside derby at the Toffees’ new Hill Dickinson Stadium, as Liverpool continues their pursuit of qualification for next season’s Champions League.
“At this point, we should definitely be very disappointed,” Van Dijk stated.
“However, a significant match lies ahead of us. We all understand its importance. While it will undoubtedly be challenging, it’s something to look forward to.”
“But currently, I’m just not feeling great due to being knocked out of the Champions League.”
Compiled by SportArena.au
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