Thomas Tuchel and his staff rejoice at the final whistle for victory over Dortmund in the knockout round of the Champions League, March 11, 2020. - GETTY / UEFA / AFP

  • PSG qualified for the quarter-finals of the Champions League by beating Borussia Dortmund (2-0) on Wednesday evening.
  • Weakened by a missed first leg, the closed session and Mbappé's last-minute illness, the Parisians were able to brave the contrary elements.
  • They finally reach the quarters of C1, after three very painful failures at the stage of the 8th finals.

It sometimes takes an accumulation of contrary elements to go and look for things at the bottom of oneself and to come out of them if not grown, at least freed from a weight. What the Parisians did on Wednesday night against Dortmund, with a goal to go up, without their supporters in the stands or their best goalscorer on the ground, is not nothing. The post-match images of joy prove it. They knew how to be up to the event, and their recent history in the Champions League is enough to remind how obvious it was.

PSG muzzles Dortmund and qualifies for the quarter-finals via @ 20minutesSport https://t.co/GxtTDhhXdQ

- 20 Minutes Sport (@ 20minutesSport) March 11, 2020

The preparation for this 8th final return was hectic, between injuries, birthday party, muscular discussions in the locker room, coronavirus and last minute angina. We were already ready to write about the Parisian lose and its ever more sophisticated scenarios. But PSG took the match by the right end, scoring fairly quickly this goal which put them in a strong position by Neymar, before giving themselves the right to a joker just before the break thanks to Bernat.

“We had a good mentality on the field, we remained strong, we scored the two goals we needed, appreciates Marquinhos. We have to keep that for the future, this good mentality, these values. When we are at the foot of the wall, we have personalities to overcome this. Captain of the evening in the absence of Thiago Silva, the Brazilian knows what he is talking about. Facing the Germans, he was "O Monstro", the man who ruled and reassured his world.

🙏 #PSGBVB The emotion of Presnel Kimbembe after the qualification of PSG in the quarter-finals of the Champions League https://t.co/IGUfvcGZ6t

- RMC Sport (@RMCsport) March 11, 2020

The Parisians were not wildly calm in the last quarter of an hour, but they did not concede any clear opportunity to the Borussia. The Erling Haaland goal machine was perfectly muzzled this time. “It is always the objective for us to control the match, which we managed to do in the first period. In the second, we had to suffer, but we suffered together, ”said Thomas Tuchel.

The German coach really liked what he saw. He who continues to focus his speech on the need to run for one another, whatever the status, has been heard. He pursues :

We played as a team. This team is reliable and united. The guys showed even more. It was a pleasure to be their coach tonight. "

One might think that this has not always been the case this season. Or the one before. All year ago, the Parisians had all the cards in hand before the return against Manchester United. They were kicked out by a team of kids after a backwards match. What attract criticism is the game. But above all what to raise doubts, and there it is more insidious.

"Everyone had doubts about PSG, everyone told us about our three successive eliminations in the round of 16, but today we have proven that we have personality, character", asserts Nasser Al-Khelaifi . That is true. But that is not a guarantee for the future either. "This is just the beginning," promises Thilo Kehrer.

"Our ambition is greater"

"We suffered last year, we suffered two years ago, we suffered three years ago. But with our mistakes, we take experience, engages Presnel Kimpembe. We're not going to ignite but it's a big step forward. We are all very proud of ourselves. "

The lessons of this funny evening are perfectly summed up there. PSG finds the quarterfinals, four long years after its last appearance at this level. Incongruity is repaired, but it should only be a first step. While waiting to know what will be the rest of the season, as the coronavirus epidemic increasingly threatens the continuation of all sports competitions in Europe, the Parisians have offered themselves the opportunity to prove that they have grown up. Really. "Our ambition is greater," says Nasser. We only ask to see.

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  • Borussia Dortmund
  • PSG
  • Champions League
  • Sport
  • Soccer