Paris Saint-Germain coach Thomas Tuchel has rejected the idea that Liverpool deserved to beat his team 3-2 in their Champions League Group C opener at Anfield on Tuesday.
PSG looked to have cancelled Daniel Sturridge’s header and James Milner’s penalty through Thomas Meunier and Kylian Mbappe but substitute Roberto Firmino won it at the death for Jurgen Klopp’s men.
“I do not think that this defeat was a logical result,” Tuchel said at a post-match news conference. ” We had a big chance with Julian [Draxler] to make it 3-2 and perhaps even win.
“In my opinion, we put in a top-level first-half display. I do not agree that Liverpool deserved to be 2-0 up. After that, we played with courage and mentality.
“We gave away the ball too cheaply in the second half. We did not stop believing or lose our defensive structure, though. In the end, it is tough to take, but the score was not a logical one.”
Speaking in the mixed zone at Anfield, captain Thiago Silva insisted that the PSG squad were “guilty” as a collective and protected teammate Neymar from the blame.
“We were in trouble in the first half, but we showed character and scored,” said the Brazil international defender. “I am happy with my team’s performance — the match was of a high level.
“We need to pay attention at all times and football punished us here. We had no opportunities to find Kylian, Edinson [Cavani] or Neymar up top. I think that it was balanced. That said, we were not 100 percent focused.
“Neymar tried to help the team — he did what the coach asked. People will try to find a culprit. We are all guilty, though.”
Right-back and scorer Meunier refused to panic after the final whistle and told RMC Sport that there is “no need to worry.”
“We did not lack character,” the Belgium international said. “We were defensive in the first half, perhaps a bit too much — too cautious.
“We created opportunities, but we should not forget that we were up against last season’s Champions League finalists. They are the same team, perhaps a little stronger, and we saw that they are a great team.
“For me, there is no need to worry at the moment.”
Speaking with RMC Sport, midfielder Adrien Rabiot admitted that he and his teammates are “disappointed” to start their continental campaign with a loss.
“Obviously we are disappointed,” said the Frenchman. “At half-time, even if it was only 2-1, we were still doing well.
“We were very good in the second half — very intense. We got back to 2-2, so to concede another at the end… Of course we are disappointed.”
Substitute Draxler reckons that the Ligue 1 giants need to be more “cunning” moving forward in Europe.
“We did not start very well,” the Germany international admitted. “Liverpool were 2-0 up and we knew that scoring two of our own would be hard. We did it, though, and deserved a draw.
“However, we also recognise that Liverpool are a strong team and they showed that with their late winner. They were more aggressive, but that is normal — we were away from home.
“Generally speaking, there was no lack of character. However, if you want to win the Champions League, we must show more cunning than we did here.
“I am proud of this team and I hope that we will do better in front of our supporters in Paris.”
New signing Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting was introduced as a substitute for the final 10 minutes of the game and was delighted to finally make his debut.
“I am very happy to have made my debut for PSG in the Champions League but also very disappointed because we had come back very well into the match,” said the Cameroon international. “We equalised, but then conceded that third goal in the final seconds.
“It is a shame — we deserved a point. It was very tough, but we have to lift our heads.”