PSG ruthlessly exploited the gaps in the Barca backline with David Luiz, Marco Verratti and Blaise Matuidi all scoring in a 3-2 victory that will be all the sweeter for coming against their local rivals.
“Any win is precious, but it means even more to give the supporters back in Doha the bragging rights,” said victorious manager Laurent Blanc.
“Our fans have put up with a lot of misery in recent years, like consecutive Champions League quarter-final defeats, and that time we only came second in the league, so this result is for them. They’ve been behind us all the way, ever since June 2011.
“What you saw tonight really exemplified the values of our sport,” he continued. “Two teams wearing Qatari slogans, funded with Qatari money, playing their hearts out for the greater glory of Qatar. It makes you proud to be a Qatari employee.”
Blanc acknowledged that despite the result, PSG still had some way to go before they could be considered the biggest team in the Gulf.
He said: “I know that when people think of Qatar and football, it’s still Barcelona that comes to mind. We want people to know that there’s another team putting Qatar on the map, and I’m not talking about Al-Gharafa Sports Club.”
His opposite number Luis Enrique commented: “Whatever the result had been, the real winner here is football. Or rather, Qatar. Come to think of it, what’s the difference?”
