Luis Enrique: 'I have to thank the crowd who pushed us all the way'
The Paris Saint-Germain coach and Lucas Hernandez spoke to PSG TV after Les Rouge et Bleu's match against Newcastle United FC (1-1) on Matchday 5 of the UEFA Champions League group stage.
Luis EnriqueÂ
"I truly believe football is a very unfair sport, but that's what makes it special, without disrespecting other sports. It's a match we should have won right from the start. We had far more chances than our opponent. We had a lot more possession in the opponent's half and many more shots on target. In short, we were the better side. But if you don't convert, if you don't score, you don't win! And tonight, when everything seemed lost, we ended up scoring from a penalty in the last minute. And I have to thank the crowd, who pushed us all the way, even when we were behind. It's incredible, thank you to everyone.
It's curious because now it's entirely in our hands. If we win in Dortmund, we'll finish top. But at the same time, with a draw, we could be knocked out. We could even qualify by losing if the other match ends in a draw. We were handed the 'group of death', and now we understand why. But what's important is that we only rely on ourselves and the objective is to win in Dortmund."
Lucas hernandez
"It was an incredible match. In games like this, you come back to the dressing room and think, 'how is it possible not to have won this match?' We had so many chances... But that's part of the game, that's part of football. Sometimes the ball just doesn't want to go in, there are nights like that, like today. But at least we know that with this draw, if we win in Dortmund, we qualify and top of the group. It's down to us, it'll be another final.
It's going to be a big match. We know that by securing this draw, we have a chance over there in Dortmund. It's up to us to stay calm in our minds. We played a very good game from start to finish. They scored that goal in the first half and afterwards, we didn't stop pushing, attacking. Today, the ball just didn't want to go in, that's the reality. Now it's down to us to keep working for that match in Dortmund."