Presnel Kimpembe says Paris Saint-Germain will come back stronger after being edged out of the UEFA Champions League by Manchester United in controversial circumstances.
PSG’s European journey came to an end at the last 16 stage last Wednesday, with the English club prevailing on away goals after a 94th-minute penalty, which Kimpembe had conceded after Diogo Dalot’s shot came off his arm.
‘Never again’
The decision generated significant debate on social media, but for 23-year-old academy graduate Kimpembe, PSG should be aiming to win more convincingly anyway.
“We lost the grit, the rage we had in the first-leg,” he explained on YouTube. “We took this game lightly, and it’s something that’ll never happen to me again. It’s enough, never again. Of course, we’ll lose more games in the Champions League, but losing games like this is over. I don’t want it to happen to us anymore.”
With Edinson Cavani (l.) and Thomas Meunier (r.) for company, PSG should pick themselves up.
Glittering career
Kimpembe has been with PSG since the summer he turned ten, and has already won ten honours with the club since his debut in 2014, as well as the FIFA World Cup with France last summer. The centre-back isn’t used to losing.
“It hurts me, very bad,” he continued. “I feel what the fans feel. I can see their anger, I realise it, I understand it and, most importantly, take ownership of it so I can digest it. Inevitably this game stays in our minds but we’ll have to forget about it for the rest of the season.
Runaway leaders Paris remain on course for a sixth Ligue 1 Conforama title, while Thomas Tuchel’s men also take on FC Nantes in the Coupe de France semi-finals next month.
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