Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Coupe de France, last 16

 Dijon 0 - 1 Paris Saint-Germain 

Carlo Ancelotti (Paris Saint-Germain coach): "It's a good result, and we're on our way to the quarter-finals. At 1-0 it wasn't an easy match to control, but I think it was a good match. We're focused on the future. [Blaise] Matuidi and [Clément] Chantôme did some great work. They defended and attacked with quality. Nicolas [Douchez] did a great job in goal. In attack, we did well, but we need to score more goals. We had chances but we didn't take them and we really need to be more clinical. We'll need to be better against Montpellier [on Sunday]. They're a dangerous side."

Patrice Carteron (Dijon coach): "Our opponents took their chance tonight and we didn't. Against players with such superior technique, you pay dearly for errors. I thought we might have been able to bounce back; we had some clear-cut chances to score, but Paris managed to hold out for the win without playing brilliantly. We weren't far off though, and we played some very promising football. All that as missing was the finishing; but it's the small details that make the difference between one of the big teams and a side who've just been promoted."

 Marseille 3 - 1 Bourg-Péronnas  (CFA, D4)

Didier Deschamps (Marseille coach): "The most important thing was to qualify with serious performance. Scoring just before the break and then scoring a third gave us enough breathing space against an opponent who remained dangerous right to the end. Brandao has been in great form since he came back, and his application and concentration are making all the difference. He's scoring important goals for us. These last ten days [during which OM have not played due to the cold weather] have been chaotic and it was important for the players to get back into a rhythm because we'll be playing a lot of matches in quick succession for the next few weeks. There were two key words tonight: seriousness and concentration. And we got the job done."

Hervé Della Maggiore (Bourg-Péronnas coach): "The gulf between the two sides was flagrantly clear tonight. We were much too timid in defense and attack at the beginning of the match. But we have no regrets. The players were pretty crestfallen in the dressing room after the match but tomorrow they'll realise that they lost to Marseille at the Vélodrome and they should get the spring back in their step pretty quickly. It was a great adventure. We pulled off a coup by eliminating a Ligue 1 side on our home turf. We had a great run, and I'm very proud of my players."

>> MATCH REPORT: OM, PSG book quarter-final berths

>> EXCLUSIVE: Kakuta ready to seize chance

>> Coupe de France fixtures/results