Pochettino still not over Benzema goal: “If it had been reviewed by VAR…”

Mauricio Pochettino, ex-PSG manager, has not forgotten about that fateful night at the Santiago Bernabeu. The French side were leading 0-1 in the second leg, 2-0 on aggregate, but, in the closing stages of the match, a Karim Benzema hat-trick flipped the tie on its head and PSG crashed out of the tournament.

During an interview with ‘Infobae’, the Argentine looked back on Benzema’s first goal which, according to Pochettino, should have been disallowed: “I think the foul, if it were reviewed by VAR, we would be talking about something else: Madrid’s elimination“.

Pochettino wanted to avoid using the word “failure” about only his spell at PSG. Rather, he used the word to describe how things have panned out at the club over the last 50 years. He was also questioned about Leo Messi, Neymar Jr. and Kylian Mbappe. He was full of praise for his ex-players.

“Messi is the best in the world. Then, it’s clear that Mbappe is a candidate to receive this title next. For me, Neymar is also one of the best players in the world. One of the most positive things has been being able to know them and competing in these situations”, appreciated the manager.

Moreover, he wanted to finish by defending PSG’s number 7 on his influence on the new project: “I don’t think Kylian has been the one to design the new plan. The ones who manage, in this case, the president, are the ones who will have thought that a new project at the club was the most convenient thing”.