Football
Jonathan Johnson, PSG correspondent 6y

Neymar 'proud' of PSG after Champions League exit vs. Real Madrid

Neymar said he was saddened after Paris Saint-Germain lost 2-1 to two-time defending champions Real Madrid at Parc des Princes on Tuesday to complete a 5-2 aggregate defeat in the Champions League round of 16.

The Brazil international, who missed the match through injury, expressed his disappointment and praised the efforts of his teammates on his social media accounts.

"I am sad for the defeat, and even sadder not to have been able to help my teammates on the pitch," wrote Neymar. "What makes me proud, though, was everybody's effort. Congratulations my guys, go Paris!"

Neymar, 26, will now focus on returning to action before the end of the season to get ready for the World Cup in Russia this summer with Brazil.

There has already been speculation over his future, notably regarding a potential move to Madrid.

Speaking after the loss to Zinedine Zidane's men, PSG captain Thiago Silva admitted that he and his teammates hope that Neymar will stay.

"It is impossible to say that with other players on the pitch, things would have been different [or] better," the Brazilian defender said. "However, it is true that we would have had more to offer.

"Neymar and his father have said that he will stay. We will see after the World Cup."

Silva, 33, rejected the idea that coach Unai Emery was at fault and redirected the blame for the result on the night and over the two legs towards himself and his teammates instead.

"It is not the fault of the coach," Silva said. "It is the players who played. [Emery] has to make difficult choices. It is not his fault. We are together with him.

"It is difficult for everybody. We had a lot of things in mind. This was insufficient. It is a shame after our route up until this point. It is hard for us and hard for the fans. We need to focus to get out of this situation. It is not the time to talk about changes."

Veteran midfielder Thiago Motta conceded that he has "possibly played in" his final Champions League game.

Motta, 35, insisted that Madrid earned the two wins and the quarterfinal place over the two legs.

"It could have been better. In my opinion, we could have played differently to the way we showed ourselves here," Motta said. "Real were better and they deserve congratulations.

"The whole team is disappointed and sad. We believed that it was possible to overcome the first leg score. We are really disappointed, but Real were certainly better. We are disappointed for the supporters and for the president, who all believed in us.

"We tried everything, but Real deserve congratulations. We must not take away their merit. They earned their qualification."

Next up for PSG are Ligue 1's bottom side Metz at home this weekend before Angers visit Paris and a trip to Nice, followed by the Coupe de la Ligue final against Monaco in Bordeaux on March 31.

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