Blanc frustrated, Hiddink relieved

• Edinson Cavani comes off the bench to give Paris a 2-1 victory against Chelsea
• Laurent Blanc believes the hosts' performance warranted a better result
• The Paris coach also gives credit to Chelsea, but will aim to score in London
• Guus Hiddink says: "It's a loss, but not a terrible loss"
• Round of 16 second leg takes place at Stamford Bridge on 9 March

Laurent Blanc, Paris coach
I'm very happy for Cavi [Edison Cavani], but it would have been the same no matter who scored. I keep repeating, he's a lad with huge talent. He's been through hard times but I hope this goal will give him confidence again. I'm encouraging all my players, and him in particular.

At half-time I was very upset because of the goal we conceded just seconds before the whistle. It's one of our biggest regrets tonight: we had the opportunity to keep the ball but we gave it away easily, then we conceded two corner kicks and then that goal.

I encouraged my players to continue playing like they were. We stayed true to our philosophy and managed to impose our game, which we have had a hard time doing recently. This 2-1 win isn't a massive advantage but my team played well. The return leg will probably be similar because both sides will display the same qualities.

Kevin Trapp impressed for Paris©AFP/Getty Images

The paradox is that it's when you're playing at home that you need to be at your best defensively – so as not to concede the famous away goal. It's tricky because Chelsea did score that goal, but it's now up to us to go to Stamford Bridge with the ambition to score. It'll be difficult because we'll have to defend of course, but we have the quality to score there.

Let's be honest, Chelsea had some chances and Kevin [Trapp] made some good saves, but being one goal ahead does not provide a fair reflection of our very good performance.

This Chelsea team is certainly improving and rediscovering some of its feeling, and they have two or three players who have a really incredible potential to accelerate the game. I've rarely seen that. I don't think Chelsea will change their approach in the return leg, and neither will we, so it should be an open match with opportunities – and I'm hoping goals.

It's one of our best displays of the season. I think our absolute best was the one we played away to Real Madrid, because Chelsea were quite happy to leave the ball to us whereas Madrid love to have the ball and we managed to starve them of it. Tonight's match will do us good because it proves we're on the right track, and this makes us even stronger.

Guus Hiddink, Chelsea manager
Of course a defeat is never a good feeling, but it's a two-legged tie so we can take something from the goal we scored. We created danger ourselves and we could have made more of our four or five chances. But after losing 2-1 we're still very much in the race.

Bear in mind that we were playing a very strong team with a very strong squad – in the second half they could bring on some top players. We could have been more clinical with our counterattacks, but it's difficult to play Paris. I'm not happy with the loss but it's not a terrible loss.

The players did well – not just the four defenders but also the midfielders defended well. We had to reshuffle: compared with our team two weeks ago, there was no [injured duo Kurt] Zouma or [John] Terry, meaning the full-backs don't have the same position now. In that regard I think it's a good performance.

Abdul Baba Rahman crosses©AFP/Getty Images

We had opportunities before we equalised. In the first minutes of the game we forgot how to play, then we improved, and yet we were a bit unsuccessful in the final pass. It was a game played at high intensity.

It's still 50-50 in the tie. Putting aside the emotions of the night, our opponents are a very strong team, so we had a good performance. This PSG team like to play football and love to attack, so you have to be very, very good to play them, very keen and alert.

Their second goal was a typical one – they have the nous to create danger where you are weak. They are very smart and we have to be very aware that, when you have a second during which your attention drops, you get punished against such teams.