Jamie Carragher has highlighted an unusual situation during the Champions League penalty shootout between Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain at Anfield, where PSG appeared to gain a double advantage that rarely occurs in such scenarios.
Following PSG’s 1-0 victory in the second leg, courtesy of Ousmane Dembele’s goal that leveled the aggregate score at 1-1, the match proceeded to penalties to determine who would advance to the quarter-finals.
PSG’s Unusual Double Advantage
During the penalty shootout, Carragher noticed something peculiar about the proceedings:
- PSG won the coin toss for choosing which end to take penalties
- The French side opted for the Anfield Road end (away from Liverpool’s famed Kop end)
- PSG also took the first penalty through Vitinha
"One thing I couldn’t work out with the penalties was, obviously there was a coin toss with Virgil van Dijk and Achraf Hakimi," Carragher explained on CBS Sports. "PSG must’ve won it to take it to the other end but then also took the first penalty. So I wasn’t quite sure what happened there."
The former Liverpool defender added: "Normally you only get one advantage and the other team gets the first penalty… but PSG deserved to go through."
According to official FIFA rules, two separate coin tosses determine both the goal at which penalties will be taken and the order of the penalty takers. When a captain wins these tosses, they have the power to decide both aspects independently.
The strategic decision paid dividends for PSG as:
- They avoided facing Liverpool’s passionate Kop end support
- They established early momentum by taking the first penalty
- Goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma made crucial saves against Darwin Nunez and Curtis Jones
- PSG converted all their spot-kicks with Desire Doue scoring the decisive penalty
Despite his disappointment, Carragher acknowledged PSG’s superiority across both legs: "I am really a bit deflated, but listen, the best team won. PSG, we’ve seen how it performed in the first leg, I called it a robbery to make it 1-0."
PSG had actually won the first coin toss at the beginning of the match too, choosing to swap ends and force Liverpool to attack the Kop end in the first half rather than their preferred second half.
What’s Next for PSG
The Parisians will now face either Aston Villa or Club Brugge in the quarter-finals, with Unai Emery’s Villa side currently holding a 3-1 advantage from their first leg encounter.
For Liverpool, this defeat marks another disappointing European exit as they continue their challenging transition under new manager Arne Slot following Jurgen Klopp’s departure.
Are you a football fan with thoughts on penalty shootout rules? Should captains be allowed to win both advantages, or should the system be reformed to ensure more balance? Share your opinions in the comments section below and join the debate about whether UEFA should consider changing these procedures for future knockout competitions.