Paris Saint-Germain coach Unai Emery has admitted he was "very disappointed" by his team's 2-2 draw at home to Ludogorets Razgrad in the Champions League, a result that cost them top spot in Group A.
The Spaniard saw his players fall behind twice to goals from Virgil Misidjan and Wanderson, but respond through Edinson Cavani and Angel Di Maria strikes. However, PSG needed all three points to stay ahead of Arsenal, who turned in a convincing 4-1 win against Basel.
Despite the fact PSG fought back to level twice, Emery was left disconsolate by their failure to finish first and he told journalists after the final whistle that he felt the French champions "deserved to come into this game in top spot."
"We had the opportunity to win this match and finish first in the group, but we did not take it," the Basque tactician added. "The disappointment we feel tonight should motivate us to lift and show what we can do in the last 16. We need to improve, and that starts this Sunday against Nice [in Ligue 1]."
Defender Thomas Meunier agreed it was a "very disappointing result," but was more philosophical in the way he viewed the draw.
"There are days like this, when things do not go your way," the Belgium international said in the mixed zone. "We had numerous chances against a very solid Ludogorets side that featured very dangerous players on the counter-attack. We deserved to win but we did not take our chances."
Midfielder Blaise Matuidi also pointed to the fact that PSG were already qualified for the last 16, but admitted "we have to improve if we want to go a long way in this competition."
"It was a very tough night," the France international conceded. "We wanted to win. But we are still qualified for the last 16. Matches are decided on little details at the highest level. We made mistakes and we paid dearly for them. We also did not take our chances at the other end."
Midfielder Thiago Motta acknowledged: "We are upset because we wanted to finish first and we are not there," but he preferred to look ahead to the last 16 rather than dwell on the group stage.
"We are disappointed because we got a good result in London and tonight we did not win," the veteran Italian said. "We have to be more careful when we are attacking to stay in position, because when we lose the ball, our opponents can hit us on the counter-attack. We hope we are in form in February because it will be a tough tie in the last 16."
Defender Marquinhos called their current stretch a bad one for the team and saying his performances against Montpellier and Ludogorets were not good, while urging his teammates to "stick together in the face of adversity."
"This is not the time to make excuses -- it is the time to work and give our answers on the pitch," said the Brazil international. "This is a moment to work even harder and see what we can do to put in the kind of performances we did at the start of the season."