Football
Jonathan Johnson, PSG correspondent 7y

PSG players are not ashamed after stunning defeat to Barcelona - Silva

Paris Saint-Germain captain Thiago Silva has said the club's players do not feel ashamed after their astonishing Champions League defeat to Barcelona on Wednesday.

PSG had led 4-0 after the first leg at the Parc des Princes but lost 6-1 at the Camp Nou, conceding three late goals as they went out 6-5 on aggregate.

Speaking to Globoesporte, Silva was asked about teammate Lucas Moura's suggestion that the players were ashamed.

"No. Ashamed? Never," Silva said. "Nobody thinks the same. He [Lucas] has his feeling and I have mine. Even with the hard result from today, I really do not feel ashamed. It is the opposite. We are players with character. Unfortunately, with a loss like this one ... it is a very hard night for all of us.

"To him, maybe, it is a very shameful night. But I do not see it this way. It is hard to go out with a result like this, but with the head burning a lot of things will be said. I guess we did not show the real PSG today."

Silva indicated that he was unhappy with the decision of referee Deniz Aytekin to give a penalty for a Marquinhos challenge on Luis Suarez in the first minute of stoppage time, from which Neymar made the aggregate score 5-5.

"It is hard to talk about the referee," he said. "People will say I am making excuses but it is not an excuse. It is the fourth time somebody has asked me about it. This means something.

"I have not seen replays yet but just from being close to Marquinhos and Suarez, I know that it was not a penalty. Seeing a replay does not matter, it will not change my opinion. However, if I say something, will it change the result of the match? No. Unfortunately, it happened, I do not know if it was deliberate but it happened."

Silva's fellow Brazilian Neymar scored twice and made another as Barcelona fought back and he said: "In the two games we tried to be firm with him, but he is so versatile that he finds tricks that drive you mad, let's put it this way.

"He is a very talented player. You put two guys on him but then there is Messi. You go on Messi and there is still Suarez. However, Neymar is always a clutch player, mainly in this kind of games."

Meanwile, PSG have received support from an unlikely source after Toulouse coach Pascal Dupraz spoke out in support of them.

Speaking ahead of Toulouse's trip to Lyon on Sunday, Dupraz expressed his sympathy towards Emery and his dismay towards many French people's reactions to the result.

"It can happen, that is just how it is," he said. "Obviously it would have been better if it happened in a friendly match. I want to express my support for the coach [Emery], even if there is nothing he could do.

"What is a real shame is the typically French reaction of many people who are pleased that PSG were defeated. We can really be a s--t country sometimes. Honestly, seeing some revel in others' misfortune, I struggle with that."

Toulouse have the rare distinction of having remained unbeaten against PSG in Ligue 1 this season after winning 2-0 at home and drawing 0-0 away.

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