Real Sociedad manager Imanol Alguacil was not willing to reproach his team for their efforts on Wednesday night after they fell to a 2-0 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain, but he is not willing to forgive players leaving the pitch if they are not injured. It leaves them with an uphill task for the second leg at home in the Round of 16.
For PSG‘s first goal, Mbappe was left unmarked by Takefusa Kubo at the back post to volley in at a tight angle. However Hamari Traore was the player assigned to Mbappe, but the Senegalese international was off the pitch after he received treatment from the previous play.
“I can’t understand how a player who has had to leave the pitch when the team was conceding a goal doesn’t end up in the hospital. I don’t understand it. If a player leaves the team with one man less, it’s because he has to go to the hospital. It is something that I am very clear about,” Alguacil told Cadena Cope.
“That player left the game and at the same time as he went, the team also went. Luis Enrique has praised us saying that we have been a great rival, but if we want to compete against these teams we cannot give these things away. We can’t allow these errors in the Champions League,” he fumed.
Alguacil was not willing to give up on the tie as a whole though.
“Despite everything, I’m leaving happy. I think that if we play the first half we did here today, we will have our chances of standing up, competing and putting PSG in difficulties.”
“Thank you to everyone who has come here and I say to them that it is true that it is a 2-0, and that it is not going to be easy, but that we are going to try and that with everyone’s support, if we are able to play like in the first half… Why not dream?”
After the game, Kubo admitted that it was ‘his error’ that led to the opening goal, but just as worrying for La Real is their lack of cutting edge up top. Mikel Oyarzabal is likely to be back for the second leg, but neither of Umar Sadiq nor Andre Silva have looked like scoring regularly this season. It is now five matches since the Txuri-Urdin found the back of the net, and it is threatening their place in Europe next season.
