Donnarumma: ‘very tough after PSG error, but that's how you grow’

Italy international Gianluigi Donnarumma admits it was ‘very tough’ for him to deal with his error when Real Madrid eliminated PSG from the Champions League, but ‘that’s how you grow.’

The goalkeeper was harassed out of possession by Karim Benzema for a goal that sparked the Real Madrid comeback in the Round of 16.

Edouard Mendy suffered a not dissimilar experience for Chelsea in the quarter-final, confirming Benzema’s high press is a specific tactic.

“It was tough, very tough after the defeat to Real Madrid,” confessed Donnarumma on the official Paris Saint-Germain website.

“We understand why the fans are unhappy, but unfortunately, this is football. We have to move on.

“It’s sad about the Champions League, but we’re looking ahead. We have to end this season in the best possible way, by giving our supporters and ourselves something to cheer about.

“To do that, we’re training hard. We’re ready to end the season well and to at least make our fans happy.”

Donnarumma is also recovering from an equally earth-shaking disappointment, as Italy failed to qualify for the 2022 World Cup.

“We’ve come together and give each other strength. When you experience such a big disappointment, you have to get to the bottom of it and then you come out of it even stronger. That’s how you grow, right?

“If you know what to do to turn things around and reaction, you’ll go from strength to strength. That’s what we have to do, become stronger as a team, move forward and take it one game at a time.”