Real Madrid hurt you with nothing – Xavi says PSG loss an injustice

Former Barcelona star Xavi did not hold back in his assessment of Paris Saint-Germain’s defeat at the Santiago Bernabeu, describing the 3-1 Champions League loss to Real Madrid as an “injustice”.

European titleholders Madrid scored twice in the final seven minutes to take command of the last-16 tie after Wednesday’s opening leg in the Spanish capital.

PSG broke the deadlock thanks to Adrien Rabiot in the 33rd-minute before Cristiano Ronaldo converted a penalty on the stroke of half-time.

The French visitors controlled proceedings in the second half but sensationally collapsed during the closing stages as Ronaldo and Marcelo condemned PSG to a two-goal defeat.

Reflecting on the result, Xavi – now playing for Al Sadd in Qatar – was less than impressed with Madrid’s performance against the Ligue 1 leaders.

“Madrid have something,” Xavi told So Foot. “Against them, you can never lose your chance, otherwise they will punish you, but the worst thing is that they hurt the opponent with nothing.

“A counterattack was enough to take the victory… F***

“You almost think it’s an injustice that PSG lost by such a big margin because it was a game that should have ended 1-1, 2-2 or 2-1 for PSG.”

 #ICICESTPARIS pic.twitter.com/CRyK9eaRh4

— PSG English (@PSG_English) February 17, 2018

“It’s inexplicable, Real Madrid didn’t play, but still won…” Xavi continued. “I saw the broadcast on Spanish television with Valdano and he said something very true.

“In this match, there were several phases, very different from each other, and there was a moment in which PSG dominated clearly.

“During those siege minutes in the Madrid area, it was at that precise moment that PSG should have scored the second.”

Xavi added: “Were Madrid superior to PSG? For me, no, but they don’t care if they are superior, if they dominate or are dominated.

“Their philosophy is simply to win. That is what makes them so difficult to play against in the [Estadio Santiago] Bernabeu, for example. PSG played like Barca.”