Marquinhos: 'One of the most emotional nights'

Marquinhos, there seems to be a great atmosphere within the squad. Is that one of your biggest strengths this season? 
We have a very capable team. Not only the first team players, but at the moment our squad is much stronger compared to previous seasons. I believe we’re better represented in every position. We’ve had some injuries, but we were able to maintain the same performance level with the players we’ve had available over the course of the season. I think this is our strength this season. The atmosphere has been really good, we get along on and off the pitch. Like I said, it’s all part of our journey - scars, mistakes and difficulties we’ve been through. We’re not only together in the good times but also in the tough times. And that has created the bond and the good atmosphere we have.

How did you approach the match against Atalanta and this unprecedented Final 8 format?
I felt ready. Ready and very motivated. Enthusiastic, as well. I was very happy to be playing in the quarter-finals of the Champions League even in this context, without fans, and without our families watching us because they enjoy it a lot. However, it’s a dream to be playing, that’s why I cherish this moment. I enjoy it as much as possible. I try to do my best when I’m playing.

How did the team react when 1-0 down?
We already have this mindset in our profession, in our team. We know that in football things happen really fast, things can change really quickly, as we showed. And they can change in our favour or against us. This has happened before, we’ve gone home sad and crying. And now we managed to change it in our favour. We’re experienced enough to know it’s not over until the referee blows the final whistle.  We have to go for it, we have to believe. Our strategy was well planned, we were aware of Atalanta’s strengths and things we could exploit that would work for us. We were able to create chances and pose a threat to a very aggressive and strong team. We just had to keep going and try to score, that’s what was missing. We had our chances, but we weren’t able to score the goal. That is what we were able to do in the final minutes of the game.

What did you feel when you scored the equaliser?

It was an outpouring of feelings and emotions. As soon as I scored, I turned around and looked at my teammates on the bench and in the stands. I have this image in my mind of them jumping and celebrating, not knowing how to celebrate, just running around, jumping, hugging each other. It was very good. And for me, personally, it was one of the strongest emotions I’ve experienced here at Paris Saint-Germain.

What do expect from tha game against RB Leipzig? They are a young and dangerous team...
Yes, it’s true. They are a young team, and they are fearless, as they’ve shown already in this Champions League season. They’ve played great. In this previous match against Atlético de Madrid, they totally dominated the game, they had great chances to score, playing with so much intensity, having so much possession, and attacking fearlessly. So, we know that we’ll have to give our best. Nowadays, relying on prestige doesn’t get you anywhere. We’ve seen that playing as a team, having a strategy and playing with strength make a huge difference on the pitch. So, we simply have to do our best and play at our highest level. We have quality, talented players, but we must come together and help each other on the pitch, give all that we have, put all of our effort and heart into what we love, which is football, and fight to win this.

How are you approaching these last two matches of the Final 8?
This competition is different from the quarter-final stages onwards. Given the present circumstances in the world, in our lives. I believe, following the pause because of the lockdown, winning it would be even better. Because these are one-off games only, we’re seeing plenty of excitement in all the matches. And it’s now become like a World Cup of sorts. We’re aiming to win this trophy because we’re ambitious. We want it, we have this dream. But we’re aware that it’s a long and hard road. There’ll be struggle, it won’t be easy, so it’s not enough to just dream about it. We will have to keep on and fight hard to win it.