With no Thiago Silva in the starting lineup and Marquinhos having the responsibilities as captain, Presnel Kimpembe had one task in the return leg against Borussia Dortmund, keep Erling Haaland quiet.
Having demons from last year’s disappointing UEFA Champions League Round of 16 loss to Manchester United, the 24-year-old had something to prove heading into Wednesday nights game.
After Paris Saint-Germain’s convincing 2-0 win over Dortmund to see the squad head to the quarter-finals of the Champions League, Kimpembe spoke with RMC Sport (via Culture PSG).
“Frankly, I don’t even have words because it was the first time for me and the whole team,” Kimpembe said. “With the images we have there; frankly, it’s magnificent with the whole team, all the supporters.”
Haaland is not going to like this (when Kimpembe let’s him out of his pocket that is 😉) https://t.co/bm3QvxiRL6
— Matt Spiro (@mattspiro) March 11, 2020
The France international mentioned how the victory over the German club is one of the big moments for the capital club in the last few years, considering the number of times PSG crashed out in the first round of the knockout stage.
“It’s been a long time to qualify for the quarter-finals. We suffered last year, we suffered two years ago, three years ago and that’s it,” Kimpembe said.
Afterward, the 24-year-old followed up by saying how everyone in the lockerroom has learned from years past, learning, and growing from their mistakes.
Furthermore, despite this being a big moment, the squad knows there’s still more work to be done, but they’ll relish the moment before moving on to their quarterfinals opponent.
“We grow with our mistakes, we gain experience,” Kimpembe said. “We’re not going to ignite but it’s a big step forward. We are all very proud of ourselves and very happy.”
Want more PSG? Visit the PSG Talk Podcast Network page and subscribe to PSG Talking, The 1970, and 24th & Parc.
