Marques on second-half fightback against PSG

Christian Marques was pleased with how Wolves under-23s turned the tide in the second-half to earn a well-deserved draw against Paris Saint-Germain at Molineux.

Despite falling behind within the first minute of action through Alexandre Fressange’s header, the home side who were greeted by over 5,000 fans under the Molineux lights shortly recomposed themselves.

Supporters who bravely faced the frosty temperature were soon to be recompensated with a second-half Elliot Watt’s cross that fell into the path of Dan Csoka as he headed into the floor and beyond the French keeper.

Sixteen-year-old Marques, who was a leader at the heart of the development side’s defence as they moved up to second place in the Premier League International Cup Group E table, shared his post-match thoughts.

On conceding early on

“It was difficult. It was the first minute and the whole squad felt it, but in the second-half, I think we played much better than our opponents.

“They didn’t get a ball towards me (in the second-half), we all played as a unit, as a team, not individually and that was how we managed to get a goal back.”

On the manager’s message at half-time

“He said we have to keep pressing, when a player goes forward, everybody has to go forward too. It’s not just one player that goes forward and the rest stays behind. We have to do what we can and step-by-step we’d get there.”

On the influence of the fans

“When we had possession, the public was always cheering us on and that really motivated us. For a player to hear positive things from off the pitch, chanting your name it does motivate you to play better and do things even better.”

On feeling at home with Wolves

“Of course. I haven’t trained alongside them for a while, but I know them all very well and they now know me as well.

“If I don’t understand something, I always speak to them straight away and they are there to help me. If I do something bad, they tell me. They tell me everything. We all have a good relationship.

“For me personally, next year I want to be playing for the first-team, but we’ll see what happens.”

---

Despite not featuring in last night’s match, defender Flavio Cristovao was left “impressed” by the turn-out of fans who were present at Molineux.

On the support for Wolves’ youngsters

“To come here to play is amazing. It’s impressive to have those many people here supporting us despite the low temperatures. Personally, I haven’t got used to the cold yet, but I deal with it well.”

On the influence of the Portuguese first-teamers

“The adaptation to the club wasn’t too complicated. Everybody here is so friendly, they have helped me as much as possible. The manager, Nuno, has helped me massively.

“Having Portuguese players in the main squad is almost like a dream. We’ve grown up seeing them play. The opportunity to train with them and having previously featured in the main team is really good.

“Normally when I go there to train, they support me a lot. Especially [Joao] Moutinho and even those who aren’t Portuguese, they are also very supportive.”

On his next-steps at Wolves

“My main objective is to try and get into the main squad as soon as possible, make countless appearances under Nuno, and to play alongside them. That’s all I want.”

By Bruna Reis

#WolvesAcademy