Blanc 'satisfied' with PSG's Olympiacos victory

Míchel, Olympiacos coach
If you didn't see the game, you would conclude from the scoreline that Paris Saint-Germain won comfortably – but that's not the case. We had the opportunities to score, we played well, but we paid dearly for our mistakes as happens at this level.

After the interval our intensity levels dropped, we conceded space and possession, and we allowed them to build up a head of steam. We stopped being aggressive in defence and stopped pressing them.

At half-time we had asked the players to continue with the same determination, focus and intensity – to try and win the match. At the time, they seemed capable. It's particularly hard to see us concede three goals from corners because I know how much effort and how many hours we have worked on defending set pieces.

I wasn't expecting the goals. If you watched them, you might rush to blame [midfielder Andreas] Samaris, but I won't. He had a great match in the first half and the way the game unfolded was very cruel on the lad. I'm to blame for the goals because I told the players who to mark. The fans applauded the players because they recognised their efforts. They saw a team they liked, but they also saw a heavy defeat.

I'm an optimist and will always prepare my side to win. I'm not satisfied with tonight's result because I want to win. I'm old but I still have things to learn. We will keep working because this is not a decisive defeat.

Laurent Blanc, PSG coach
I'm satisfied with the result. It's true that Olympiacos caused us problems in the first half. They pressured us high up the pitch and we had to retreat, but they expended a lot of energy and paid for it in the second half. After the interval it was our time to press, to get hold of the ball and to raise our game. Our lines worked better, they came closer, and we exploited the spaces left by our rivals.

We managed to impose our game and play as we wanted. I brought on [Ezequiel] Lavezzi because Lucas got injured. It's a privilege to have a bench of such quality players. Marquinhos had not played for four months. He was not ready for 90 minutes and in the first half he had the same problems that the whole team did. He was not to blame for the equaliser. He improved in the second half and also scored a goal.

That's also the case with [Thiago] Motta. He too was playing deep before the break and advanced afterwards, scoring two goals. The first match can shape the group. It's a very encouraging result ahead of our upcoming encounters.