Thomas Tuchel: 'With character'
Thomas Tuchel, Alphonse Areola and Marquinhos gave their thoughts on the 1-0 win over Toulouse on Sunday.
Thomas Tuchel (Paris Saint-Germain coach)
"After an international break, games are never easy. There are a lot of matches, a lot of travelling...the players came back tired. You could feel that in training this week. This match was a big obstacle, one we have overcome with mentality and character. We played and never gave up. It's good. We stayed calm and confident, which was what we needed to do to win the match."
Alphonse Areola (Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper)
"It was a really keenly contested game. It's always tough to get back into the groove after an international break. We really wanted to win the game and start well in the final strait. We want to get the title and beat records. We have to keep going like this to finish as high as possible. We're going back to the Parc des Princes, our home on Wednesday, and just like this evening the fans will be behind us. We'll give everything to win this semi-final."
Marquinhos (Paris Saint-Germain defender)
"We knew how difficult it would be to come here. Toulouse are a team of warriors who fight right to the end. We needed to be patient but stay active, go forward and get in behind them. It was a match to build up understanding, that's never easy after the international break. The youngsters? They stand up to be counted when we call on them, they train well. The coach has faith in them and plays them. We still have two trophies to win. That's our aim. Before Strasbourg, we have to think about the Coupe de France semi-final. Trophies bring joy, and we want to make our fans happy.