re: Ligue 1 16/17 - Monaco, PSG, and Nice separate from the pack

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Unai Emery (PSG coach): "We didn't play the match we wanted to. Barcelona played with a winning state of mind. We wanted to carry over from the previous leg but we didn't. After going 2-0 down we improved. We showed more personality. At 3-1 normally, the match should have been over. But in five to ten minutes all our hard work was undone. We have to overcome this and grow. I'm sure other chances like this one will arise. The players have taken responsibility. They know they were not up to scratch in what was an important moment for the club."

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Thiago Silva (PSG captain): "As captain, I'm very proud of my players. Unfortunately today nothing worked. We failed to enact our plan and Barcelona took their chances. It hurts, but the big players are the ones who get over these things the fastest. We've had moments like this before and got over it. We're not going to let our heads go down this time. It's hard for our fans who were here, but we have to keep working. This was not a crisis of confidence."

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Marco Verratti (PSG midfielder): "Barcelona deserved to qualify. It was difficult for us to play our game, to string together passes. They pressed too much in the first half. It got better in the second, but when we conceded the third goal we realised we had to play. When Edinson Cavani scored we calmed down, but at that point the Barca players were still telling me the game was over. To concede three goals in five minutes, I can't find an explanation. It's football. This is a game I will never forget. I hope it serves as a lesson to everyone. We must find the strength to keep our heads up. We lost 6-1, not because of the referee. We are the ones responsible."

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Nasser al-Khelaïfi (PSG president): "There are no excuses. We didn't play in the first half. After winning 4-0 in the first leg, losing 6-1 in the return leg is very difficult to accept, but we have no choice. After the first-leg win our goal of getting to the quarter-finals looked realistic. But in football that doesn't mean anything. We tried our best, we didn't manage to qualify, but we will keep going. To concede three goals in seven minutes so late is very hard. I haven't talked to the players yet, this is not the time. Everyone is nervous. That's normal. We're going to calm down."

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