‘Nobody expected that’: BBC pundit saw what Liverpool ace did to surprise entire PSG XI in first-half | OneFootball

Stephen Warnock could not believe his eyes after seeing Ibrahima Konate hit a great shot from such a far distance.

During Liverpool’s Champions League contest with Paris Saint-Germain, the defender – who has been extensively linked with a move to the Parc des Princes – hit a long shot, but the PSG keeper caught it.

On BBC Sport’s blog, former Reds player said: “Nobody expected that in the PSG team. Ibrahima Konate hits that shot low and it bounces just in front of Gianluigi Donnarumma.”

It was PSG who struck first at Anfield, taking a 1-0 lead in the second leg to level the tie at 1-1 on aggregate after weathering Liverpool’s early pressure.

The breakthrough came in the 12th minute following some slick build-up play. Nuno Mendes found Ousmane Dembele in midfield, and the Frenchman quickly spread the ball wide to Bradley Barcola on the right.

He picked out Dembele again with a return pass, but Konate’s sliding challenge inadvertently teed up the PSG winger for a simple finish.

Liverpool’s fast start had put PSG under pressure early on, but the visitors’ composure in possession paid off, with a sharp passing move unlocking the Merseyside club.

Ibrahima Konate opens up on VAR controversy in first-leg clash

Ibrahima Konate might have got away with one (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)

In the first leg, Konate was in the middle of controversy. Bradley Barcola had been closing in on goal when the Liverpool man found himself beaten. As Barcola surged forward, there was clear contact between the two, with Konate  – – appearing to bundle his international teammate to the ground.

The VAR team reviewed the incident but saw no clear-and-obvious error, meaning neither a red card nor a penalty was given.

Konate, speaking to Canal Plus via GFFN, said post-match. “There was a VAR check. If there was a push, like you said, I would have been shown a red card. I’m telling you that there wasn’t a foul. It’s true that I am very strong but I don’t apply power, I just put my arm. If I had put a lot more power into it then we could talk about it… but it was soft from me,” he said.