Warren Zaïre-Emery (17) was left unsatisfied with Paris Saint-Germain’s draw against Borussia Dortmund (1-1), which was enough to see them qualify for the knockout stage of the competition, but insufficient to allow them to take top spot.
PSG went to Dortmund with the objective of getting the victory that would allow them to top the group, and therefore earn an easier draw for the Round of 16. However, after Karim Adeyemi’s goal for the Bundesliga club, and with results elsewhere going against them, Les Parisiens were staring down the barrel of an early elimination.
Zaïre-Emery’s equaliser spared PSG’s blushes and the point was enough to see them finish above AC Milan. However, the PSG academy product, who became the youngest Frenchman to score in the Champions League, was not wholly satisfied with the result.
‘It’s important to qualify and keep this Champions League objective’ – Marquinhos
“At the same time we’re happy, but we know we could have done better and finished in first place,” Zaïre-Emery told Canal Plus post-match. “That was the objective. But we’re happy to finish second and to qualify. We played a good match. Sometimes, football is like that, the ball doesn’t want to go into the net. We had lots of chances. There are only positives going forward.”
His sentiment was shared by club captain Marquinhos. “Qualification and the second place is one objective that we had. The first one was to finish in first place. We had the chances. We felt as though we could have got it, but still, you have to stay clear-minded – it’s important to qualify and keep this Champions League objective,” said the Brazilian international.
