Zlatan Ibrahimovic says PSG must improve for Champions League success
Zlatan Ibrahimovic insisted that Paris Saint-Germain must improve if they are to reach their first Champions League semi-final since 1995 after a 2-2 first-leg draw with Manchester City in Paris.
The stage was set for the Parisiens to finally produce the goods on the big stage, having already sealed the Ligue 1 title, enabling them to fully focus on their quarter-final clash with City.
However, after Laurent Blanc had questioned the standard of the Premier League pre-match, City gained the advantage in the tie thanks to crucial away strikes from Kevin De Bruyne and Fernandinho
Ibrahimovic had atoned for an early penalty miss by cancelling De Bruyne's effort out in bizarre fashion, but missed several chances to put his side in a more comfortable position, and the charismatic striker was not happy with what he saw in the French capital.
"We still have hope, we always have hope," Ibrahimovic said. "We are strong and confident but we will have to do better, much better in the second leg."
According to statistics published last year by French sports daily L'Equipe, Ibrahimovic, along with Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo, has the best success rate from the spot over the last 10 years in the five big leagues.
Hence when the 34-year-old's 14th minute penalty was denied by Joe Hart, the 'keeper he beat four times in 2012 when Sweden tamed England 4-2 in a friendly, he was not amused.
"We made avoidable mistakes," Ibrahimovic added. "There was this penalty that I missed, that's the way it is."
The forward was not the sole culprit as PSG failed to dominate in the way they usually do, which came as another surprise to Ibrahimovic.
"We felt attacked like rarely in the past," Ibrahimovic said.
