Barcelona head coach Xavi Hernandez praised his side after beating Paris Saint-Germain 3:2 away in the Champions League quarter-final first leg. In a match full of twists and turns, the Catalans took the lead ahead of the second leg at Camp Nou next Tuesday.
"We had time to prepare for this game and everything worked out very well both in defense and attack. We are proud of this team. Paris Saint-Germain played very strongly but we managed to limit their attacking threat to a minimum", Xavi said after substitute Andreas Christensen gave Barca the win at the Parc des Princes with a goal in the 77th minute.
"It's a very good win against one of the strongest teams in the world. It's extremely difficult to defend against this team because of the way they press, but we did it. We are halfway there, it will be difficult for us in Barcelona. The players believe in themselves. They have this opportunity and if they play in the same way they will have chances in the second leg. We're not done, but we're proud. This game showed that Barcelona is alive", added the Blaugrana boss, who are on a 12-match unbeaten run since he announced he will leave the club at the end of the season.
Xavi's colleague at PSG Luis Enrique, who was the last coach to bring the Champions League trophy to Barcelona in 2015, remains confident the Parisians will reach the semi-finals. "Congratulations to Barcelona. I think we could have had a different result, but we accept it and are focused on turning things around. I have no doubt that we can do it and we will. That's my goal. We could have won. I'm not saying that the result is unfair, but everything was decided by the small details and we will work to make those details work in our favor in the second leg", shared the former coach of Spain. /BGNES
