PSG won the first-leg of their Champions League semifinal 1-0 thanks to Ousmane Dembele's fourth minute goal, with Merino having an equaliser ruled out by VAR for offside after halftime.
“It was a tough game,” he said afterwards. “Every minute counts, and in the first 10-15 minutes maybe we didn't perform at the level we are used to, but I think the team recovered really well from the goal. We showed a lot of character and personality, and we almost dominated the rest of the game.
“We know we have a really good team, a powerful team, and we are really confident that we're going to win the second leg. I think people are optimistic.
"We know that what we showed today is just the beginning of what we are, and obviously really confident, really full of power for the second leg."
"We can't wait to go to Paris"
Merino also said: “I think what we'll learn is that we are able to dominate any team, anywhere. This is a team that really wants to be the ball the whole time, really wants to keep you in your box. Today we proved that we can play against anyone and be the main team on the pitch. Today showed us that we are really capable of performing anywhere. We can't wait to go to Paris.”
On his disallowed goal, Merino also said: “It was tough, but those are the margins that we manage in these kinds of games.
“This is elite football, and a few centimetres can determine your future. So, hopefully in the second leg, those 10 centimetres can go to our side.”