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Neymar relieved after qualifying: "A mentally exhausting match"

2020-08-12T22:13:16.450Z


Find the reactions of PSG players after the qualification for the semi-finals of the Champions League obtained against Atalanta Bergamo (2-1).


Neymar (PSG striker): “It's a great evening but it was very difficult. We knew that Atalanta was a great team, which has played well all season and was the surprise team in this competition. They were aggressive and we knew they would rush us if we had opportunities. We are happy for what we did. We had a great game. We will have to rest because it was mentally exhausting. We never thought about elimination and we never thought of going home. No one is going to take my mind off the fact that I want to go to the final. It was a great match, difficult, another awaits us. We will have to sort out some things to make another great game. ”

Marquinhos (PSG defender): “It's incredible. We were present, we dominated, we had a good game. We had to believe in it until the end even if we missed a few opportunities to unlock the match. It happened thanks to motivation and faith. Neymar has been a key player. We knew Atalanta was doing good pressing with one-on-one in defense, but we did the right thing tactically. It's a special day with this victory (PSG is celebrating its 50th anniversary this Wednesday). We don't want to stop there. Despite the special context, Paris will celebrate and our supporters too. ”

"Something that blocked us until then"

Nasser Al Khelaifi

Thomas Tuchel (PSG coach): “It's a historic season with four titles and now a Champions League semi-final, we will not forget this anniversary. Yes, I doubted after 85 or 88 minutes of play. I was realistic… But we always had the impression that we could score. I said to my assistants: "if we equalize, we will make the difference right after". We had a very good match and the qualification is deserved. There was a bit of luck with those late goals but if you look at the whole game, it's deserved. The bench players who entered were exceptional with a great state of mind. "

Nasser Al Khelaifi (president of PSG): “It's a special day for the club's 50th anniversary. That's wonderful. We need that to change mentalities in the club and something that was blocking us until then. I want to thank everyone, the players and the coach. Everyone said we weren't ready but we showed we have great players. It is the history of the club that is being written today. We are going to celebrate that but tomorrow we will think about the semi-final. "

"READ ALSO - Tops / Flops Atalanta-PSG: Neymar, leader of a PSG gone through all the emotions

Eric Choupo-Moting (PSG striker): “We have a good time together on and off the pitch. We have already won four titles this season but the most important is this one. We really believe in us and we did it today. Everyone knows that we have high quality individuals, but we also wanted to show it as a team. We have never won the Champions League and with such a team, we must have these kinds of ambitions. It's such a great club and we will give everything in the next game and continue to believe in it. "

Gian Piero Gasperini (Atalanta coach): “It's a very difficult game, very hard for both teams. For us, obviously, there is a lot of remorse to have conceded two goals at the end of the match. We thought the match was over, it's hard. When we led, we managed pretty well. But the entry of Mbappé, combined with the presence of Neymar, changed things for PSG. His entry gave an energy to PSG who were losing the match, this was fundamental because of what he brought. The goal of equalization, above all, leaves us with a lot of bitterness. PSG have a good probability of playing the final. "

Interview on RMC Sport, Sky Sports and at a press conference

Read also

  • At the end of a crazy match, Paris overthrows Atalanta and (finally) finds the last four

Source: lefigaro

All sports articles on 2020-08-12

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