Akliouche and Teze's reactions after the return leg against PSG | OneFootball

It was with both disappointment and pride that the two Monaco goalscorers this evening appeared in the mixed zone after their elimination in the Champions League playoff against Paris.

They exited the Champions League with honour. After putting up a tremendous fight and once again playing with a numerical disadvantage, the AS Monaco players came close to overturning PSG in the Champions League return leg (2-2). It was therefore with a mix of disappointment and pride that the two goalscorers, Maghnes Akliouche and Jordan Teze, spoke in the mixed zone. Excerpts. 🎙️

Good evening, Maghnes. How do you feel after coming so close to qualifying?

Of course there’s disappointment and frustration because we had the ability to secure qualification. I don’t think we lacked intensity; it’s mainly the red cards in both the first and second legs that hurt us. We played nearly 90 minutes with 10 men. We responded well in so many areas, and we can be proud of our performance. We need to learn from matches like this because we proved what we are capable of achieving against top teams.

Of course, we need to take lessons from this match, in particular regarding our mindset and the quality of our play, in order to finish the season strongly. We also need to learn from our mistakes to improve, that’s the goal. We face PSG again next week, and we will give everything once more.

It feels like reliving a similar scenario to Benfica last season.

It is indeed somewhat the same as we played a big match there. We gave everything, and unfortunately, it didn’t work out. We have a young squad, and we need to use these kinds of matches to perform better next time.

Should the three matches against PSG this season serve to build a foundation to help climb back up the standings?

Of course, we need to take lessons from this match, in particular regarding our mindset and the quality of our play, in order to finish the season strongly. We also need to learn from our mistakes to improve, that’s the goal. We face PSG again next week, and we will give everything once more.

What instructions did the coach give you regarding your positioning?

I had quite a bit of freedom in this match, and I think it showed. I was mostly close to Balo, but I could also move out of my zone. This kind of situation is always more enjoyable for me. In matches like this, you always expect the key players in the team to step up. I was determined to be present, and I’ll try to replicate this performance in the future. I always want to improve; I’m learning every day.

I think we played very well, especially in the first half, where we were rewarded by scoring before the break. We had a good plan for the second half, but just like in the first leg, we got another red card, and they scored immediately afterwards. Overall, the feeling is one of sadness, but we showed everyone that we were capable of winning.

Jordan Teze’s reaction

Good evening, Jordan. What is the overall feeling tonight?

I’m lost for words because I think we played very well, especially in the first half, where we were rewarded by scoring before the break. We had a good plan for the second half, but just like in the first leg, we received another red card, and they scored immediately afterwards. The overall feeling is one of sadness, but we showed everyone that we were capable of winning, even though many people had said it would be easy for PSG. They know it wasn’t an easy qualification, but that’s football, plain and simple. It all comes down to small details.

This makes it the third time you’ve troubled PSG this season.

I think we’ve found PSG’s weakness. Unfortunately, we didn’t win, and that’s what matters in football. We still have one more match against them this season here in a week in the league. It will be a rematch.

These recent matches promise good things for the future.

Exactly. We’ve been showing our true face and character over the past few weeks, like in the hard fought victory against Lens and this two-legged tie against PSG. We’ll need to give 100% of our abilities until the end of the season and play like we did tonight, where we made them doubt themselves. There are still 11 league matches to go. It’s a long way, and we’ll fight to secure a spot in Europe.