Matuidi praises PSG for showing soul

David Beckham described Paris Saint-Germain FC's enthralling 2-2 UEFA Champions League quarter-final draw with FC Barcelona as "a special night" and insisted the French club believe in their chances of reaching the last four at the Camp Nou next week. "We can go there and play freely," the former England captain told UEFA.com. After scoring a stoppage-time equaliser a satisfied Blaise Matuidi added: "We have proved PSG have a soul and a real team."

Blaise Matuidi, PSG midfielder
I am quite satisfied. We played well against the best team in the world. There was a magical atmosphere and I think we gave the French public a lot of pleasure. We played with our heart and showed courage. The feeling in the dressing room after the game was a bit mixed. We were happy but also a bit frustrated by the scoreline. We had as many chances as them, if not more.

We showed we could compete with the best. We proved that PSG have a soul and a real team. People will be able to count on us in the Champions League for the next few years.

It is going to be very difficult over there. They have scored two away goals, but it is great that we equalised at the end. We will try to replicate our performance in Barcelona. I am happy to have scored, but unfortunately I will be suspended for the second leg. I will be the team's number one fan over there.

David Beckham, PSG midfielder
It was a special night. I think we deserved to get a draw. We had our chances in the first ten minutes, but if you leave a player like Lionel Messi alone for two seconds he damages you. We played a pretty good game. If we had put the chances away it might have been different.

The manager spoke before the game of having character and courage, and having the confidence to play, and I think we had the confidence to play. That was the biggest thing. It was always going to be difficult. They keep the ball well, the possession is always on their side, but overall we are happy.

Any game at the Camp Nou is difficult, but us getting the goal to make it 2-2 makes it a little bit interesting because we can go there and play freely. If we get one goal, who knows? What memories [of Camp Nou] do I have? I won there with Real Madrid once and I won the European Cup there too. It is a special place and hopefully we can get a result.

Zlatan Ibrahimović, PSG forward
It was a good game. We showed we could play and I think 2-2 is a fair result if you look at the game. We played against a fantastic team. We were 1-0 down and 2-1 down, so it is good for us. We showed character and this gives us more confidence. We are only here to learn. This is the first year for the club, everything is new and we have a lot of new players.

It is not easy to play against Barcelona. The game went well for me. We have to play like a team and when the team plays well it is easier for me. I am very confident [of progressing]. We have a great opportunity. It will not be easy but we will go there and play the game and we will see.