Thomas Tuchel paid tribute to his team’s mental strength after Paris Saint-Germain defeated arch rivals Marseille in their first home game since their Champions League heartbreak.
Kylian Mbappe’s opener was cancelled out by Valere Germain, but Angel Di Maria’s double helped PSG surge to a 3-1 victory in Le Classique to go 20 points clear at the top of Ligue 1.
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The visitors played the last 28 minutes with ten men after goalkeeper Steve Mandanda was shown a red card for handball outside of the penalty box. Di Maria capped a sparkling display by scoring his second goal directly from the resulting free-kick.
A group of home supporters did not arrive at the Parc des Princes until 15 minutes into the game as a protest against the French giants’ European exit at the hands of English Premier League outfit Manchester United earlier this month.
Tuchel refused to apologise for the Manchester United result and applauded his players after they reacted with such a positive display in a high-pressure contest.Coach Tuchel: "It was a good evening because we played with quality but also the right mentality. It was a special match and we were prepared."
— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) March 17, 2019
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“It's not up to us to say sorry. We’re the most disappointed. It was an accident,” said Tuchel.
“Everyone can feel that this team is united, they are always together, they give everything.
“The team proves that she can react as a champion. The mentality is extraordinary. It's a great win in a big game.
“I know my team, if you lose a big match, we lost one, you have to accept that everyone is talking.
“We must be quiet, be calm. It's hard, I will always defend my team, the boys are incredible.”
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— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) March 17, 2019
With Edinson Cavani, Julian Draxler and Neymar absent, Tuchel was also forced to deal with losing Thomas Meunier and Dani Alves to injuries during the game.
“Di Maria made an outstanding match,” he added.
“He has a lot of responsibilities because we miss a lot of key players. Kylian and he take their responsibilities."