Paris Saint-Germain star Neymar said he did not want to celebrate intentionally against Bayern Munich’s Joshua Kimmich after PSG advanced with away goals and advanced to the Champions League semi-finals.
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The draw, which ended 3-3 overall, was a resumption of last season’s Champions League final, which Bayern won 1-0. Before Tuesday’s game, Bayern Kimmich and Thomas Muller said they were confident the German champions would move to Princes Park.
But it was PSG who took the lead, with Neymar celebrating with teammate Leandro Paredes in front of an annoying Kimmich as the referee whistled full time.
“It’s funny because I didn’t even celebrate to mess with him, it was more with Leo and I ended up celebrating with him. It was fate that brought me closer. [Kimmich]”, Said Neymar TNT Sports Brazil after the match. “He said his team was better, they would win. He was sure they would go to the semifinals.”
Bayern won 1-0 despite suffering at the break throughout the match, with Neymar hitting the woodwork twice, but it wasn’t enough to progress.
Still, that didn’t stop Bayern coach Hansi Flick from saying his team was more deserving of moving on.
“In both games I think we were the best team,” said Flick, who had to deal without injured striker Robert Lewandowski for both games. “We were lucky behind, we were missing some players, but we have to accept that.”
In response to Flick, PSG coach Mauricio Pochettino said pre-match comments from German players were fair.
“It’s normal for them to trust, that they’re a team that have won it even though they thought they were the favorites,” Pochettino said.
“Football is such a beautiful game, but it’s also a game where you never give up and you have to fight. But I understand why they said they trusted, it’s normal to play mental games,” he added.
Neymar praised his teammates, but stopped saying that PSG is now the favorite. They will face Manchester City or Borussia Dortmund in the semi-final round.
“The message we had to send was given last season, when we reached the final, we played a great game against Bayern, which was the best team last year. This year I didn’t see it that way. said Neymar. “During the draw, I told my teammates we were going to face Bayern, and it happened.
“I told them to be calm, that we were ready. We had to prove it to ourselves, that we can do it. It was a great game, even though they beat us, we played better.”
The club and Neymar are also in the middle of negotiating the contract, but the former Barcelona player said he wants to stay in Paris.
“I don’t think this is even an issue, obviously I feel very comfortable at home at PSG,” Neymar said. “I feel happier than before.”
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to his report.