Tuchel faces up to PSG limits after Di Maria’s late rescue

PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN coach Thomas Tuchel accepted that his side have to improve in Europe after requiring an injury-time Angel Di Maria goal to draw 2-2 with Napoli in the Champions League yesterday.

PSG looked beaten until Di Maria curled home in the third minute of time added on, salvaging a point from a game in which they had been second-best for long spells.

Prior to that it looked as though goals from Lorenzo Insigne and Dries Mertens, either side of a Mario Rui own goal, would give Carlo Ancelotti’s Napoli the victory in the French capital.

Instead, the biggest beneficiaries of this result are surely Liverpool, who move to the top of Group C after easing to a 4-0 win over Red Star Belgrade in the night’s other game.

PSG are third, a point behind Napoli with a trip to Italy up next before Liverpool visit Paris next month.

That means there is a real risk that a club with ambitions of winning the Champions League could be sent packing in the group stage.

“We can improve, it’s not possible to make errors because the opposition are very strong,” said Tuchel.

“I have lots of respect for the teams in this group. I knew it would be really complicated, and in my opinion we are not the favourites. This group is really difficult and we can’t be surprised.”

Ancelotti’s Napoli were excellent for long spells, fresh from beating Liverpool in their last European outing.

“We played well, and I think we would have deserved the victory for our efforts, but that is what playing PSG is all about, they have players of such quality,” said Ancelotti, who coached Di Maria at Real Madrid.

“We have another opportunity at home and I hope to see the same game,” Ancelotti concluded. – AFP