LIVERPOOL, England, mar 12  (AP/UNB) — Liverpool, which dominated the revamped Champions League group stage, found itself eliminated from the tournament by early March after a narrow loss to Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in the round of 16.

Despite topping the league phase with victories over top clubs like Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, and AC Milan, Liverpool faced a tough draw against a resurgent PSG squad that barely made it past the playoffs. The two-legged tie ended 1-1 on aggregate, with PSG ultimately winning 4-1 in a penalty shootout at Anfield.

Liverpool manager Arne Slot expressed frustration, calling his team “so, so, so unlucky” to face “one of the best teams in Europe” so early in the knockout stage. “That’s the format we are in, and we have to accept it,” he said.

Slot questioned the value of finishing first in the league stage if it meant facing an opponent like PSG in the next round. “We impressed Europe, but now we must consider whether topping the table really gives an advantage,” he said. “Ultimately, to win the tournament, you have to beat teams like PSG, and we didn’t do that today.”

PSG, which had struggled earlier in the competition—losing to Arsenal, Atletico Madrid, and Bayern Munich—showed its strength by defeating Manchester City 4-2 in January and dominating Liverpool in Paris before conceding a late goal.

At Anfield, the French side endured Liverpool’s pressure, including a Jarrell Quansah header that struck the post. Meanwhile, Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson made several crucial saves to keep his team in the game.

PSG coach Luis Enrique acknowledged the tight contest, noting that both teams had chances to advance. In the end, goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma’s penalty saves from Darwin Nunez and Curtis Jones secured PSG’s victory. “Today we showed our personality and delivered a top performance when we needed it most,” Enrique said.