Dani Alves Says PSG Must 'Lose the Virginity' in the UEFA Champions League

Dani Alves says Paris Saint-Germain must lose their UEFA Champions League "virginity" this season after their 2-0 win over Manchester United on Tuesday.

PSG travelled to Old Trafford for the first leg of their last-16 tie with United and came away with a victory thanks to Presnel Kimpembe and Kylian Mbappe. The result provided a boost to the club's bid to win the competition for the first time.

"I think we have to lose the virginity in this competition this season once and for all," Alves said, per AS. "We are working hard for it."

For all their resources, PSG have not only failed to win the Champions League, they've not even reached a semi-final since 1995.

Between 2013 and 2016, they went out at the quarter-final stage on each occasion, while in the last two seasons, they've been knocked out in the round of 16.

On Tuesday, they won despite missing Neymar and Edinson Cavani, who were ruled out through injury.

BBC Sport's Simon Stone believed their absence paved the way for Mbappe to shine:

ESPN FC's Michael Cox singled out Marco Verratti:

Kimpembe broke the deadlock eight minutes into the second half with a close-range volley from Angel Di Maria's corner. On the hour mark, Mbappe put on the afterburners to reach a pass from Di Maria and tuck home past David De Gea.

Despite the result, PSG may be wary of letting slip their lead. Two years ago, PSG beat Barcelona 4-0 in Paris before losing the second leg 6-1 at the Camp Nou.

Alves isn't afraid of a repeat against United, though:

"I am not scared of any comeback, because if you are scared, you can't reach any goal. [...]

"So, we have the opportunity to reach the next round, but we have to repeat what we've done today, because [Manchester United] have history in this competition as we haven't. So we should have a good performance to reach the objective."

The Red Devils will have to win at the Parc des Princes if they're to progress, and they'll have to do so without Paul Pogba. The Frenchman picked up two bookings on Tuesday, the second for a foul on Alves in the final minute of normal time.

United have been resurgent under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer—it was their first defeat in his 12th match in charge—but Tuesday was a reminder that they're not at the level of those aspiring to win the Champions League.

PSG should be capable of seeing out the tie, but if they do, they'll have another big hurdle to overcome in the quarter-final.