- Liverpool beat Paris Saint-Germain 1-0 in their Champions League clash
- Vitinha, 25, insisted that PSG were the better side despite their defeat
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The Paris Saint-Germain players believe they deserved to beat Liverpool in the first leg of their Champions League Round of 16 clash and are determined to overturn their 1-0 deficit at Anfield next week.
Portuguese midfielder Vitinha insisted that PSG were the better side despite their defeat at the Parc des Princes and vowed that they would put things right in the return leg.
‘It’s hard to play a match like that, against a team like that. Only one goal opportunity, only one shot. Now is the time to show what a team we are. We’re going to show what a team we are, we’re going to show our character, ‘ he said after the game.
‘We’re going to win there [at Liverpool]. With the game we played, the victory was more than deserved. We had plenty of chances like at the start of the season but we didn’t manage to score. ‘
PSG dominated large parts of the game, but Liverpool’s defensive discipline frustrated them before substitute Harvey Elliott struck late to snatch the win for the Premier League side.
When reflecting on the game, Achraf Hakimi admitted the result left the PSG squad frustrated but said they had full belief in their ability to turn the tie around on Tuesday next week.
Portuguese midfielder Vitinha (pictured above) insisted PSG were better than Liverpool despite their defeat at the Parc des Princes
They beat PSG 1-0 in their Champions League clash thanks to a late goal from Harvey Elliott
Despite the disappointment, Achraf Hakimi (pictured above) saw enough in PSG’s performance to convince him they could complete the comeback on March 11 at Anfield
‘We come out frustrated. Frustrated to lose the game like that. We’ve seen that this kind of game has happened before this season, especially against Atletico. It hurts to end the game like that, but we’re happy with the work we did, happy with our efforts, and we’re ready to go out there and win the game we deserve to win.’
Despite the disappointment, the Moroccan defender saw enough in PSG’s performance to convince him they could complete the comeback on March 11 at Anfield.
‘With what I saw, there is hope. I saw desire, personality from the whole team. I didn’t think it was going to happen like this. If we have this personality and the same desire, we will get through.’
Hakimi also claimed that Liverpool approached the match cautiously, knowing PSG’s attacking quality. ‘They know our qualities, they respected us. They also know the atmosphere here and they came with the desire to keep the result to finish the job at home. They didn’t want to attack like usual.’
With a crucial second leg at Anfield looming, PSG will need to back up their words with action. They have a week to prepare, and Hakimi made it clear they intend to make it count.
‘We’re going to go there and try to win. We have to raise our heads, that’s what we said to ourselves, and we have a week to prepare for the return match.’
