Coming off the bench to score the goal which took RB Leipzig into a the Champions League semi-final was “a bit unreal”, Tyler Adams said. The midfielder’s deflected strike against Atlético Madrid with two minutes left on the clock earned his side a last-four date with PSG.
It was Adams’s second appearance in the competition, having missed most of the first half of the season because of injury, but he made up for lost time with a vicious shot from 20 yards that defeated Jan Oblak after the ball struck Stefan Savic on its way towards goal.
“It’s a deflection but it counts the same as a regular one,” Adams told BT Sport. “We prepared the best way possible for this game but it was a bit odd, obviously, having no fans in on a Champions League night but also coming off a three-week holiday and having to prepare for such a big game being a first game.”
There will not be much time to prepare for the club’s first Champions League semi-final, with PSG awaiting on Tuesday, after their dramatic win over Atalanta on Wednesday.
“Facing such a world class team like PSG, we’re excited to show what we’re capable of. We’re really, really excited. We know Paris are a great team, we saw what they did against Atalanta.
“Now it’s about recovering in the right way, getting ourselves right mentally and working on the game plan. We’re confident in ourselves, you saw that.”
Leipzig’s manager, Julian Nagelsmann, will need to put together a plan to stop Neymar and Kylian Mbappé but will take great spirit from keeping Atlético relatively quiet.
“It was a good game. Atletico defended like in all games – very good. At the end we were better in the final third. We did not create many chances, but they didn’t create many chances,” Nagelsmann told BT Sport.
“Great emotions for the club and our team. As a manager you have to look forward. We have to prepare for the next game. There’s not a lot of time to celebrate but maybe we will have a beer in the hotel then we focus on PSG.”
RB Leipzig were founded in 2009, so it is an impressive feat to reach the final four. ”The club develops very fast since,” Nagelsmann said. “We reached the Bundesliga and qualified for the Champions League three times. We’re still in the Champions League. The progress is faster than usual.”