Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez confirmed that he is proud of the victory he achieved over Paris Saint-Germain, which is considered one of the best teams in the world.
Barcelona won against Paris Saint-Germain by three goals to two, in the match that was held at the “Princes’ Park” stadium in the first leg of the quarter-finals of the Champions League competition.
Xavi said in his statements after the end of the match: “My message is that we should be proud of our victory over one of the best teams in the world, but we must be calm.”
He continued: “Rafinha is exciting because of his personality and he gives us a lot. His positioning, movement, and high pressing. He was the best in the match because he penetrated the back of the defense several times, and Lewandowski played very well.”
He continued: “I still believe that Paris is the favourite. It will be difficult in the second leg. We are still halfway through, and we closed the gap with them because the team was united defensively. I am very proud because it is a great victory over one of the best teams in the world.”
He added: “Everything went well.” It was great defensively, in midfield and in attack as well. “We understood the match well, it was a great match and we should be proud of it.”
He continued: “I spoke with Pedri before the match and that he would probably play for half an hour. He gave us a break and calm, he gave us a lot in the second half. “We have to come out of the halftime break better. We have matured and recovered from a match that was very complicated.”
He continued: “Kobarci no longer has any words of praise. He is performing at an exceptional level and doing everything well, winning duels and it is difficult to be pressured, and competing as an older player. One of the things that makes me very proud is that we played with teenagers.”
Regarding stopping Paris Saint-Germain player Kylian Mbappe, Xavi said: “We stopped Paris Saint-Germain well as a team. Ronald and Jules were very interested in Mbappe, and the defense made a big difference in the match.”