Paris Saint-Germain boss Thomas Tuchel was classy in defeat to Man Utd on Wednesday night, and defended Neymar for his rant after the game.
The Ligue 1 champions surrendered a two-goal advantage from the first leg of their last-16 Champions League tie against Man Utd on Wednesday night, losing 3-1 at home to be eliminated from the competition.
SEE MORE: Neymar reacts furiously to Manchester United defeat with epic Instagram tantrum
There was late drama as VAR awarded United a penalty in injury time, with Marcus Rashford stepping up and scoring to book their place in the quarter-finals.
That means more disappointment for PSG in Europe, as they have continuously failed to reach their objective in recent years and have faltered at a relatively early stage yet again.
However, to his credit, Tuchel showed class after the game by keeping his composure and assessing the game and controversial late decision in a calm manner.
“I am a big supporter of VAR, and I remain a big supporter of VAR,” he is quoted as saying by Sky Sports.
“I think it’s difficult. I think there are reasons why you can give this penalty. When he goes to VAR we know he has reasons. With handball, you have soft facts but not hard facts. The shot is wide, and then suddenly it’s a penalty. OK.”
That continued when he was asked about Neymar’s x-ranted rant on Instagram after the game, as seen in the tweet below, with the Brazilian superstar ruled out and watching from the sidelines due to a foot injury.
On Neymar, Tuchel noted: “Sometimes when you remember yourself in a big, big fight and you remember being very emotional you use words and you react in a way that you take back some hours later,” he told a news conference, as per Goal.com.
“You see how emotional he is and how he lives with us and how badly he wanted to help us and Ney, coming back – latest in the quarter-finals – and coming today and biting his nails for every game we play without him. So don’t be too harsh on him.
“It’s, like I said, hard to accept for all of us who could not play and could do nothing. I would not over-interpret the use of his words in the heat of the challenge and the moment of the decision. It’s quickly typed into a smartphone.”
The German tactician deserves a lot of credit for dealing with PSG’s exit in such a classy way, but time will tell if the disappointment of another failure in the Champions League forces the hierarchy to consider yet another managerial change this summer.
Winning the Ligue 1 title and domestic honours is a given for the capital club, and so coaches are arguably assessed on their ability to deliver in Europe. Much like many of his predecessors, Tuchel has failed in that regard this season too.
