Marquinhos: PSG's Win over Borussia Dortmund Was 'The Perfect Night'

Paris Saint-Germain defender Marquinhos has described the club's 2-0 win over Borussia Dortmund in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday as a "perfect night."

Goals from Neymar and Juan Bernat were enough for the Ligue 1 side to overturn the 2-1 advantage Dortmund had established after the first leg of the last-16 tie in Germany. In the previous three tournaments, PSG had been dumped out of the competition at this stage.

PSG celebrated wildly with supporters outside the Parc des Princes after the game—the match was played behind closed doors because of concerns over the coronavirus—and afterward, Marquinhos reflected on a big night for the club, per RMC Sport (h/t Get French Football News):

"The perfect night. With all the atmosphere that there was before the match, we had a good mentality on the pitch. We remained strong; we scored two goals required, and we did not concede a goal. It was genuinely very good, and we have to keep this mind for what comes next. We need to keep this mentality.

"Each time that we had our backs against the wall, we showed our values, that we had quality personalities to overcome it. We qualified. We are going to enjoy that, and we must keep this spirit, this quality and this personality for what's to come."

Here are the highlights of the match in the French capital, as PSG made it to the quarter-finals of the European Cup for the first time since 2016:

Although supporters were not allowed inside the stadium, they congregated outside the facility before, during and after the match:

Even when the players were warming up, they were made aware of the backing they were receiving outside:

In recent years, the French champions have capitulated when under pressure in the Champions League. In 2017, they were defeated 6-1 by Barcelona in a dramatic second-leg loss at the Camp Nou, while last year, a 3-1 loss to Manchester United put them out of the competition.

On Wednesday, there was a maturity about the way PSG approached the game. Football journalist Tom Williams reflected on their rounded performance:

Following the elimination of holders Liverpool on Wednesday, the Champions League feels as open now as it has been for many years. With Neymar in form and Kylian Mbappe in support, PSG will sense an opportunity to go all the way in the competition this term.

Marquinhos has now been at PSG for seven years, and even at 25 years old, he is considered one of the more experienced players in the squad. He was excellent against Dortmund, wearing the captain's armband and helping shut down star forward Erling Haaland with captain Thiago Silva absent.