Benoît Badiashile: "We responded as a collective"
Trained in AS Monaco’s Academy it was therefore on familiar territory that Benoît Badiashile has just recorded one of the best performances of his career. The Red and Whites’ central defender looked back on the team’s comeback win against Paris Saint-Germain.
Benoît, is this your best win as a professional?
It was a great victory against Paris Saint-Germain, we know their squad and we know that it is very tough to win against them, especially being down 2-0. This made it even more difficult for us and we are proud to have achieved this result.
What did Niko Kovac tell you at half-time?
He was not happy with our first half. Niko was annoyed that we couldn’t develop our style of play, but said he was confident in our qualities and that we were able to go and trouble PSG. This is what we managed to do. After the match in Lyon, we wanted to pull ourselves together against a big team in the league.
How to explain the difference between the two periods?
We started our match badly by not taking any risks. At 2-0, we know we could have conceded even more. In the second half, we were much more relaxed. What we will remember today is having been able to come back against a club like PSG. We were able to raise our heads and play as we did in the previous two games.
What does a victory like this mean for the group?
We are a strong and united team. We continue to fight even in difficulty. The group is very green, we must continue to progress and winning against teams like these can only help us in our progress. At 2-0, we knew it wasn’t through individual play that we were going to win. We responded collectively, it strengthens us as a team and we will have to confirm this result against the other teams in the league.
With this success, AS Monaco is second in the championship tonight …
It’s still early. We are AS Monaco and we know we have to have high goals, but there is still a long way to go, it is only Matchday 11. Such performances will have to be repeated to be able to achieve our aims. We have to stay calm after victories like these, and important players like Cesc Fabregas or Wissam Ben Yedder are there to advise and guide us.
Did you prepare for this game in a different way knowing the adversity?
We were aware of playing world class players. Kylian showed his talent again today. We tried to play to our strengths, and that worked for us in the second half. Kylian came to the locker room to talk after the game, he wasn’t happy but congratulated me.
Finally, to conclude, on a personal basis, it’s something to end a great week for you…
It’s true that with the Espoirs, we were able to finish first in our group thanks to a goal late in the game. There again, we managed to come back despite being behind, and against PSG that’s no small feat. Once again, we are very happy with this result.
