Paris Saint-Germain defender Marquinhos has been one of many players on the team who has risen to the occasion in the UEFA Champions League knockout stage. He rescued PSG with a late game-tying goal against Atalanta in the quarterfinals and followed it up with a header goal against RB Leipzig in the semis. PSG would certainly not be in the Champions League final without his heroics over the tournament.
The semifinal win over RB Leipzig was a special moment in Marquinhos’ career. In an exclusive interview with PSG TV, he talked about the emotions from the historic win and touched on the preparations that the team made before the contest.
“The emotion has subsided now,” Marquinhos said. “This qualification is very beautiful, we are here to make history, we have already taken a big step and one remains to be done. It was an incredible match, mastered, controlled from start to finish.
“We had prepared well for this match, we had the right strategy, we had studied this Leipzig team well, we knew their points to exploit, their strengths too, and that made the difference.”
The goal for Marquinhos has been lauded as one of the biggest in the club’s history. He talked about what went behind scoring the header goal and how the team prepared for such set-piece goal-scoring opportunities.
“I know it’s not the most important mission for a defender to score, but on a set-piece it can also change a game and that’s what happened,” Marquinhos said. “In fact, everything was prepared. Even in the afternoon, we talked about this point to be exploited. We knew that if the ball was played quickly, in the right timing, we could hurt at that time. On the goal, Di Maria sent a huge ball, I just had to push him towards the goal. It was a great movement, everything went really well.”
Much has been talked about with PSG’s unity. The club looks more united than before, and it has showed with its performances on the pitch. Marquinhos also spoke about this mindset and how everyone puts the team first.
“On the pitch it makes the difference, when there is a loss of ball, there is always one who sacrifices himself for the other,” Marquinhos said. “Everyone defends, helps each other, holds out their hand, everyone pushes towards the same goal. It’s not only in the good times, because we also lived through difficult times, in which we also had to stick together. Now is a good time and we must continue with this same solidarity.”
The team will need to keep this same mentality of togetherness as it prepares for the Champions League final against Bayern Munich.
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