It was a tough night for Paris Saint-Germain’s Xavi Simons against Stade Rennais. The 18-year-old played 66 minutes, only winning one of eight total duels while losing the ball on 14 occasions with 51 touches. Simons also had one big chanced missed, and two blocked shots.
Nonetheless, Simons stopped by to talk with Prime Sport France, where the teenager stated that the matchup against Rennes was a complicated one for the capital club.
“It was a complicated, tough match. Kylian Mbappé’s goal in the final minutes was important. We are happy. We knew that Rennes were a good team; we had lost in the first leg,” Simons said.
“We wanted to win this game; it was important for the morale of the team for the next game, which is coming up and which is important.”
The Prime Sport France crew also asked Simons whether he could be starting in the most critical home match of the season against Real Madrid on Tuesday.
“Starter against Real Madrid (laughs)? We stay calm, we keep working, and we’ll see what happens. The coach and the players give me confidence. Real? They’re a good team; I hope we play our game,” Simons said.