Tuchel hails magnificent PSG as Red Star win seals last-16 spot

Thomas Tuchel was thrilled with Paris Saint-Germain’s attitude and quality as they beat Red Star Belgrade 4-1 to reach the Champions League knockouts.

Edinson Cavani and Neymar set the Ligue 1 leaders on course for victory in Serbia and, although Marko Gobeljic halved the deficit early in the second half, Marquinhos and Kylian Mbappe made the three points safe.

The result ensures PSG progress to the last 16 as winners of Group C, ahead of Liverpool, who snatched second spot by beating Napoli 1-0 at Anfield.

PSG started their European campaign this season with a 3-2 loss on Merseyside and Tuchel is delighted with the way his team have developed since then.

“The same players played against Liverpool [on matchday five]. It’s not about the system, but about the attitude. It’s really hard to win here and the guys played magnificently,” he told RMC Sport.

“I really liked our reaction after the goal. We controlled the game. We played with a lot of risks and we sometimes forgot to close the spaces.

“Now, we’re in the last 16. Congratulations to all the players and staff. It was a difficult group with a lot of quality. It was hard, especially after our first match in Liverpool. The team showed they could play together.”

PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi hopes to see the team take their renewed confidence into the next round, the draw for which takes place next Monday.

“We’re very happy to have achieved our goal: to be top, and not playing against a big team in the last 16,” he said.

“It’s not easy to play here. I’m very proud of my players, the coach, the staff. We’ve shown we’re a great team. We were full of confidence.”

How we all felt after the final whistle! @ChampionsLeague Round of 16, here we come! 

  #AllezParis pic.twitter.com/pjMDOxt88u

— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) December 11, 2018