[ad_1]
Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez said Paris Saint-Germain The team that he chose to play in the Champions League quarterfinals is still considered a favourite. The first leg was won by 3-2. In the French capital.
Raphinha Score twice with substitute Andreas Christensen The 77th-minute winner at Parc des Princes gave Barcelona an edge going back to Spain next week for the second half.
– Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, NWSL more (U.S.)
Xavi told his news conference following the match that PSG were still favourites. It will be difficult to win at Barcelona.
We played very well today because our defense was united. All went very well. In the early minutes of the second-half, we need to increase our concentration. It took us a while to grow up and get over a difficult match.
Barcelona, the winner Napoli In the Round of 16, they are looking to make their first Champions League Semifinal since 2019, after two consecutive group stage exits.
“I’m hoping the ghosts are dead,” Xavi said. Recently, we’ve experienced difficult years in Champions League. This win shows that Barça are still alive.”
PSG seemed to be on the mend after Raphinha’s first-half opener. Ousmane Dembélé The former player equalised his team in the 48th minutes. Midfielder Vitinha PSG in front of Fabián Ruiz‘s pass in a pulsating match where Dembélé also hit the left post moments before Christensen’s winner.
Luis Enrique of PSG, a former Barcelona treble winner, admitted that he was not satisfied with the result. It’s now our goal to make the second leg feel like a championship. We will qualify, I am sure. Barcelona’s win and performance are to be congratulated.
We could have done better. There are some areas we need to work on for the next leg, but overall I am satisfied with what I saw. My opinion is that we controlled our emotions very well, but I think the outcome of the match was determined by details. Results are also the manager’s responsibility. The players that I selected for the game were not right. “We changed our plan at half-time, and scored two goals.”
Luis Enrique has refused to make any comment about Kylian MbappéThe performance of the France Captain was held back by Barcelona’s defense and made little impact in the game.
However, he said that Barça were not necessarily favourites even with a win in hand and the home field advantage.
He said, “We’re going to Barcelona to wage war.”
“I don’t ever see my opponents as favorites, regardless of who they may be. This is how I view it at the top level of competition. And I’ll continue to think that we can win at Barcelona.
“I repeat. This game could have been won. [Football] “It’s all about the little details. Let’s hope the details work in our favor on the second leg.”
This report was based on information from ESPN’s Julien Laurens and Reuters.
[ad_2]
