Defeated by Liverpool at the Parc des Princes (0-1) in the first leg of the Champions League Round of 16, Paris Saint-Germain will have to turn the situation around next Tuesday at Anfield. Despite this frustrating defeat, Achraf Hakimi remains confident in his team’s chances of qualification.
“Frustrated to lose like this”
After the match, the Atlas Lion expressed both his disappointment and determination for the return leg: “We are coming out frustrated. Frustrated to lose the match like this. We’ve seen this kind of situation happen before this season, notably against Atlético (1-2, on November 6). It hurts to finish the match this way, but we are happy with the work we’ve done, proud of our efforts, and ready to go there and win the game we deserve to win.”
Despite the unfavorable scoreline, Hakimi is convinced that PSG has the resources to win at Anfield: “From what I saw, there is hope. I saw determination and personality from the whole team. I didn’t expect the match to go this way. If we show the same personality and desire, we will go through.”
The Moroccan international also analyzed Liverpool’s performance, highlighting their more defensive approach than expected: “They know our qualities, they respected us. They are also aware of the atmosphere here, and they came with the intention of holding onto the result to finish the job at home. They didn’t want to attack as they usually do. But we will go there and try to win. We need to keep our heads up, that’s what we told ourselves, and we have a week to prepare for the second leg.”
PSG will need to pull off a remarkable performance next Tuesday to keep their European journey alive.
