Barcelona boss Luis Enrique accepted the blame for the heavy defeat at Paris St-Germain, which leaves the Spanish giants in danger of failing to reach the Champions League quarter-finals.
Angel di Maria scored twice as PSG won the last-16 first leg tie at the Parc des Princes 4-0 on Tuesday.
No side in the history of the competition has come back to win from such a deficit.
"It was a disastrous night for us; we were clearly inferior," Enrique said.
"I'm responsible for this."
Barcelona need 'heroic performance'
Barcelona are five-time European champions and last won the Champions League two years ago.
They have not failed to reach the last eight of the competition since 2007 and Enrique knows his side will have to be at their very best to have a chance of turning the tie around in the return leg at the Nou Camp on 8 March.
He added: "It's extremely difficult for us now but we go back to our stadium and really we need a heroic performance.
"But why not dream?"
| Barca's biggest Champions League defeats | |
|---|---|
| 4-0 v AC Milian | Final - 18 May 1994 |
| 4-0 v Dynamo Kiev | Group stage - 5 Nov 1997 |
| 4-0 v Bayern Munich | Semi-final, first leg - 23 April 2013 |
| 4-0 v PSG | Last 16 - 14 February 2017 |
Do Barcelona have a chanc
The biggest Champions League deficit overturned in a second leg was achieved by Spanish side Deportivo, who overhauled AC Milan's 4-1 lead to win 5-4 on aggregate and reach the 2004 semi-finals.
It was considered one of the most remarkable nights in European football, with Milan the defending champions and favourites to win the tournament.
Barcelona have won by at least four clear goals in seven games at the Nou Camp this season, including a 4-0 defeat of Manchester City in October and a 7-0 win against Celtic in September.
Only half-time for PSG coach Emery
PSG have never progressed beyond the quarter-finals of the Champions League.
They were defeated by Manchester City in the last eight last season after beating Chelsea home and away in the previous round, and coach Unai Emery is staying grounded.
"We played a great game individually and collectively, with tremendous backing from the fans," he said.
"But I still have a lot of respect for Barca and 90 minutes is long. We must keep our concentration for the return match."
No comments:
Post a Comment