Ronald Koeman pessimistic he could ‘remontada’ in the second leg
It was really a disappointed week for Barcelona, where they were beaten by Paris Saint-Germain with a score of 1-4 in the first leg of last 16 of the European Champions League. In fact, coach Ronald Koeman even raised the white flag.
Barcelona initially managed to take the lead through Lionel Messi’s penalty in the 27th minute. But unfortunately, it was the home side who suffered in the remainder of the match.
Kylian Mbappe became the main star of the super big match, where the young French striker managed to hit Ter Stegen’s goal three times.
Moise Kean scored one other goal, so that the match ended in sadness for the hosts Barcelona, scoring 1-4 wins for PSG.
It is indeed difficult for Barcelona to reverse the position when undergoing the second leg in Paris later. However, they have recorded a comeback or Remuntada at the same event and the same opponent several years ago.
At that time, the first leg Duel in Paris ended with a 4-0 score, but the second leg at Camp Nou was won by Barca with a score of 6-1, as a result the Catalan giants advanced to the quarter-finals.
Interestingly, coach Ronald Koeman seems pessimistic about the opportunity to repeat the remuntada moment.
“A 1-4 defeat, normally it would be very difficult. I could have lied to you, but the fact that you are 1-4 in the home leg, there are only a few who can qualify,”
“This match shows how much we need improvement, especially at the Champions League level. This match shows that we lack many things to be at the best level, especially at the Champions League level,” Koeman told the media crew, quoted by Goal International.
Not only that, the Dutch coach also admitted that Paris Saint-Germain was at a superior level compared to Messi et al.
“It is clear this result reflects how superior they are. They performed effectively. In the first half the match was still balanced. In the second half we had problems in defense,” added the Dutchman.
The second leg duel is planned to be held in March 2021, at the Parc des Princes.