DRAW WITH BARCA

PSG managed to come out of the first leg quarter-final Champions League match against Barcelona with a 2-2 draw. However, PSG manager Carlo Ancelotti was disappointed after the match as he questioned the integrity of Barcelona striker Alex Sanchez. Ancelotti said that the Chilean international took a clear dive in order to win the penalty late in the match. The penalty was converted by midfielder Xavi and it looked to have given Barcelona a strong foothold in the tie. However, an injury time goal from Blaise Matuidi helped PSG get back on level terms and give them hope going into the second leg at the Camp Nou.

Ancelotti said that the 24-year-old Sanchez conned the referee in order to win a penalty. Even though PSG have managed to draw the match, they are at a disadvantage in the tie due to the away goals conceded. Ancelotti has said that he has several occasions of Sanchez diving in order to win penalties. On the other hand, Ancelotti said that is extremely proud of his players to fight back on two occasions to level the match. Earlier, Lionel Messi has given Barcelona lead in the first half only to see their former striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic equalise in the 79th minute.

“Alexis looked for the goalkeeper, it was not a penalty. It was a gift from the referee. We have experience with Alexis, in the friendly in August he also dived. We know him. He likes to dive. It is nothing new. It was a good game. We played well in the first few minutes but it got complicated. We used a lot of energy to level the score. We have opportunities for the return game. It is still open, even if it will not be easy. We showed that we can compete against Barca,” said Ancelotti.