Irreproachable on Wednesday evening on the pitch at the Allianz Stadium, Marquinhos was one of the architects of the success gleaned by PSG against Juve (2-1). It is however with a touch of disappointment that the Parisian captain came to speak in the mixed zone to explain how he and his partners had seen the first place in group H fly away in the last moments of the match.
You win against Juventus but finish second. Are you disappointed with your position in this group H?
MARQUINS. There is a disappointment but not huge. Now, it will be necessary to know how to play with the cards which one has between the hands. The first objective was to come here and win to get this first place. We know the advantages it represents, it really matters. We couldn’t and Benfica are going to get a huge result in Haifa. We didn’t expect that. Now, you have to play with the cards you have in hand.
Did you realize in the last moments that the first place was slipping away from you?
No, we didn’t understand. We managed the game, we knew it was important to win. We knew that at halftime it was 1-1. Afterwards, we knew that they had scored quickly. But at the end of the match, I didn’t know it was 5-1 then 6-1. Then it was too late to try to score that goal we were missing. They succeeded, they did their job. We must not forget that we have our strengths. We will try to play with the advantages we have and hide the disadvantages.
The first place escapes you in the last moments but it is probably not tonight that you lose it. When did it happen according to you?
I think it played out in both games against Benfica. We had to win one, we didn’t succeed. Especially the game at home because we know that away games are always difficult. It was during the game at home that we lost first place, we had to win it. It happened there.
What feeling dominated in the locker room, the satisfaction of having won and preserved your invincibility or this disappointment with the exposure you have in the draw?
There are two feelings. We are happy with the work we have done, to come here and beat Juventus. We must not forget the journey we have made. We had difficult matches, we won and played good matches too. It is sure that we have many things to improve in order to grow. The Champions League is often decided in the last phases: the team which is better, which is more decisive, more efficient at the end of the season, is the one which goes to the final and wins this competition. Now, we have seen teams that have been second and have been champions. We have to go as far as possible and win this competition.
This is the first time in the Champions League that two teams have been separated on away goals. Don’t you feel that this kind of thing only happens at PSG?
What is the sixth criterion, right? But you have to deal with it. I’ve been here for years and, it’s true, there’s always something wrong. We have to deal with it, we have great players… It will be difficult, like always. It was also when we were first, we also had difficult draws in those moments. There are disadvantages to being second, but not too many… Those who finished first will also think that they can cross paths with Paris. We are going to go step by step, taking the matches one by one, obviously hoping to reach the final.
On a personal level, we feel you come back to life in this two-man defense…
Thank you, but I still have confidence in myself, in my talent. I know what I must do. Everyone sees it, I’m more used to playing in a two-man defense. In a three-man defence, I need to adapt, it hasn’t been long since we adopted this system. But we also had good games with a three-man defense. It’s good to have several cards up your sleeve. There are matches where it will be more suitable to play with two, others better to play with three… It’s good to have the choice.
On Tuesday, Sergio Ramos hinted that he would like to extend to PSG. Where are you with your extension?
I have always had my mind at PSG. I still have a year and a half of contract. I want to stay at PSG. The club has confidence in me, in the project they have for me. We are in discussion. I hope everything will end well, we’ll see if it’s before or after the World Cup.
