FRANCE: FOOTBALL / SOCCER - PSG cruise by Bayer Leverkusen to book last eight spot

Record ID: 255865

  • Title: FRANCE: FOOTBALL / SOCCER - PSG cruise by Bayer Leverkusen to book last eight spot
  • Date: 13th March 2014
  • Summary: PARIS, FRANCE (MARCH 12, 2014) (REUTERS) BAYER LEVERKUSEN COACH SAMI HYYPIA ARRIVING FOR NEWS CONFERENCE CAMERAMAN (SOUNDBITE) (English) BAYER LEVERKUSEN COACH SAMI HYYPIA SAYING: "I think today there were a lot of positive things in this game and of course after a defeat you can't be 100 percent satisfied but I'm very happy for the team that they really were running a lot and fighting a lot today and it is a pity that we didn't get a draw on them because that would have been the right result for this game." JOURNALISTS LISTENING HYYPIA LEAVING ROOM JOURNALIST USING PHONE PARIS ST GERMAIN COACH LAURENT BLANC ARRIVING FOR NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (French) PSG COACH LAURENT BLANC SAYING: "It was difficult, there you go, a Champions League game is a game of superior level and I was expecting a bit more from my team. However I'm not going to be difficult, we have had a lot a good things since the start of the season with this side and as you said maybe they subconsciously thought they had done what needed to be done in the first encounter, they did what had to be done in the first game. I was expecting a bit more but I'm very happy, I congratulate them, I went to congratulate them." AUDIENCE LISTENING (SOUNDBITE) (French) PSG COACH LAURENT BLANC SAYING ON FUTURE: "I wasn't expecting this question, I thought we were going to talk about the game but I hope that what the president said will be verified in next weeks, days or months, what more can I say." BLANC DURING NEWS CONFERENCE
  • Embargoed: 28th March 2014 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: France
  • Country: France
  • Topics: Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVA7MYTVZ8ZR2GEQ1GHVV9M2VVUN
  • Story Text: Paris St Germain, without their magic midfield triangle and despite Zlatan Ibrahimovic's under-par display, sailed into the Champions League quarter-finals with a 6-1 aggregate win against Bayer Leverkusen on Wednesday (March 12).
    The French champions won 2-1 at the Parc des Princes having thrashed Bayer 4-0 in the last-16 first leg, with Marquinhos and Ezequiel Lavezzi wiping out the visitors' early lead after Sidney Sam's opener.
    Sami Hyypia's team, who finished with 10 men after Emre Can picked up a second yellow card in the 68th minute, could also blame the defeat on Simon Rolfes's missed penalty in the second half.
    "I think today there were a lot of positive things in this game and of course after a defeat you can't be 100 percent satisfied but I'm very happy for the team that they really were running a lot and fighting a lot today and it is a pity that we didn't get a draw on them because that would have been the right result for this game," Hyypia told reporters after the game.
    PSG, who have now won their last six games in all competitions, could have turned the screw harder, had Ibrahimovic not missed a couple of clear chances either way of the interval.
    Laurent Blanc's team started without their usual midfield trident as Marco Verratti and Blaise Matuidi were rested while Thiago Motta started on the bench.
    Bayer, who were looking to become only the third team to progress from a knockout tie in the Champions League after losing the first leg at home, made the most of it.
    In the sixth minute, Sam headed home with a downward header from Giulio Donati's cross to make it 1-0 for the visitors.
    The hopes of Bayer, who were without the injured midfielder Jens Hegeler, of causing a major upset were shortlived, though.
    PSG restored order in the 13th minute when Marquinhos headed home from a corner and six minutes later, Ibrahimovic's delicate chip ended on the crossbar as PSG tightened their grip on the game.
    Christophe Jallet, however, pulled back Eren Derdiyok in the area, only for Salvatore Sirigu to parry away Simon Rolfes's penalty kick.
    The hosts went ahead eight minutes into the second half when Lavezzi slotted home from Lucas Digne's fine back pass.
    Despite the win, PSG coach Laurent Blanc said he was a little disappointed with his team.
    "It was difficult, there you go, a Champions League game is a game of superior level and I was expecting a bit more from my team," he said. "However I'm not going to be difficult, we have had a lot a good things since the start of the season with this side and as you said maybe they subconsciously thought they had done what needed to be done in the first encounter."
    With a potentially tricky Ligue 1 home game against St Etienne on Sunday looming, Blanc substituted Ibrahimovic with Jeremy Menez, giving in the 72nd minute the former AS Roma forward his first appearance in almost a month.
    Blanc, who has been St Germain's coach since July last year and for a two-year contract, could be staying on in his role for longer after the president of the Paris club Nasser Al-Khelaifi said shortly after the end of the game he would still be PSG's coach next season.
    "I hope that what the president said will be verified in next weeks, days or months," he added.
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