"The last 25 minutes give hope" - Christophe Galtier says he had a discussion with PSG stars in the locker room after 1-0 Bayern Munich loss
Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) lost 1-0 against Bayern Munich last night (February 14) at Parc des Princes in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League Round of 16 tie.
The hosts started the game without Kylian Mbappe, who had just returned from an injury. They were passive in their approach and mostly depended on counters and transitions instead of trying to control the midfield.
After a scoreless first half, Bayern opened the scoring in the 53rd minute through Kingsley Coman. Trailing 1-0 at home appeared to have shook the Parisian giants into action, who upped the tempo post the hour mark.
Remarking on his team's improved display in the last 25 minutes of the game, PSG coach Christophe Galtier said:
"The last 25 minutes give hope, he said at a press conference. I hope we can recover players and freshness in three weeks. I'm thinking of the midfielder, Nordi Mukiele , to Kim (Kimpembe) who only played half-time. Tonight there is no eliminated, no qualified, that's the reality. I have a lot of hopes. We had a discussion in the locker room with my players."
Benjamin Pavard of Bayern Munich got sent off in the 92nd minute, which reflected the amount of pressure the Bavarian giants were put under in the final moments of the game.
PSG will visit the Allianz Arena to play the return leg on March 8. Speaking on his team's ability to turn things around, Galtier said:
"There will be a game to play in three weeks, if we have the ability to play it like the last 25-30 minutes, we can have hope of winning at Bayern. Winning at Bayern can help you. lead to penalties or qualification."
PSG is on a bad run of form in all competitions
Yesterday's loss was PSG's third straight defeat in all competitions. The Ligue 1 giants lost 2-1 against Montpellier and followed it up with a 3-1 defeat against AS Monaco. The loss against Bayern means that the Parisian giants have now won only twice in their last six games.
They did miss the services of Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe in some of those games and with the trio now back, the French giants will hope to rekindle their form.