Khvicha Kvaratskhelia insists Paris Saint-Germain “deserved a lot more” from the French team’s shock 1-0 loss to Liverpool.
The Reds secured a sensational European victory at the Parc des Princes on Wednesday thanks to Harvey Elliott’s late winner, despite PSG dominating the game. The second leg of the last 16 Champions League tie will take place at Anfield next Tuesday.
PSG had 27 shots on Wednesday – 25 more than Liverpool – with 10 of those strikes hitting the target. Alisson produced one of the greatest goalkeeping displays of his Reds career, while Kvaratskhelia had a goal disallowed for offside during the first half.
Kvaratskhelia was asked for his thoughts on Liverpool’s smash and grab win. He said: “We had a lot of chances to score. We deserved a lot more tonight, it wasn’t difficult, we showed that we were a better team tonight, we would have deserved a win or a draw.”
Looking deflated, Kvaratskhelia added: “We have to be ready for the return and give everything. It will be difficult of course. Because Liverpool at Anfield is a great stadium, with atmosphere. That’s football, we will have to play the same game and score.”
There was a moment of controversy during the first half when Ibrahima Konate made contact with Bradley Barcola while the PSG star was clean through on goal, but referee Davide Massa did not award a foul. The incident was checked by the video assistant referee.
(Image: Getty Images)
PSG midfielder Vitinha was asked for his thoughts on the incident, as well as his team’s defeat and hopes ahead of next week’s second leg. He said: “Tough. Everyone saw it. Football is like that, it’s hard to play a game like that, against a team like that.
“Their only shot, I don’t know… It’s tough, but now we’re going to show what kind of team we are. It’s been a long time since we lost, it’s up to us to show our personality and our strength. We’re going to go there, we’re going to play a great game, we’re going to score and we’re going to go through, I’m sure of it.”
On the incident involving Konate, Vitinha said: “I’m on the pitch, it’s hard to see, I’m not going to talk about that. We’re not going to hide behind that. I remain optimistic, a victory was more than deserved. I know that the only thing that matters is when the ball is in it. I’m sure it’s going to happen at Liverpool, we’re going to play a great game.”
