Joao Palhinha admits that the next couple of days will be difficult for Tottenham but the future will "bring us something special" after a UEFA Super Cup final which saw him involved in action on and off the pitch.
The 30-year-old started only his second game for Spurs following his loan move from Bayern Munich and on his competitive debut the Portuguese midfielder was a key element of the north London side snuffing out PSG's threat in Udine on Wednesday night and taking a 2-0 lead through goals from Micky van de Ven and new captain Cristian Romero.
It was Palhinha's reaction shot pushed on to the crossbar by new PSG goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier that led to Van de Ven's first half goal as the Dutchman swept home the loose ball.
However, after Palhinha was taken off in the 72nd minute due to his lack of match fitness, so Tottenham lost some of their shape and eventually conceded two late goals from Lee Kang-in and Goncalo Ramos. The French side then went on to win the penalty shoot-out 4-3 with their boss Luis Enrique admitting that Spurs had deserved to win the tie against the Champions League winners.
Palhinha could be seen, while still in his full kit, pushing his team-mates on in the technical area behind Thomas Frank following his substitution, dishing out instructions and telling certain players to calm down in possession. He was such an animated presence among the coaches that the fourth official had to come over and warn him to go and sit with his fellow withdrawn players.
After the game, the experienced former Fulham midfielder summed up the mood in the dressing room.
"We are really sad. Not just the players but all the staff, all the crowd that came to support us during the game. I think today and tomorrow will be a tough day for us to digest that loss, but I think we also need to feel proud for what we did until the 80 minutes," he said. "Because we fought all the games with the top team ad I think we showed what we are here to get in the future. I think we have all the conditions to achieve this season and I think the future will bring us something special.
"We played against a top opponent, a top game, but in the Premier League and also in every single league, they are top games. I think we cannot relax, and the good thing now is we have another game on Saturday to change the things and start on the right foot in the Premier League. That's our main goal today. As I said, try to forget what happened today. I think today will be really difficult, even tomorrow.
"But we will have short time as well to prepare for the next game, but with all the focus and the anger to achieve a win. I think the hunger from all the players to achieve this title. Everyone gave all the maximum in this game and I think we showed what we are capable of. We played against a top team and we have everything, a top coach and top players in this squad.
"A top crowd as well with a lot of hunger to achieve titles. Me and my team-mates, we will fight for it for sure. Yeah, it's a tough day today, a tough night, but I know that we will shape good things in the future. We just need to keep our heads up."
Palhinha put the final result down to the lottery of football as it sometimes throws up heartbreak just when all seems to be heading in the right direction.
"I think we played a really good game. I think we deserved much more than this result. It's really, really sad for all of us to get out of this stadium with this result, but it's football at the end," said the Portuguese.
"I think we showed in this game what we are capable of. I know the potential of this team. We have great players with a lot of hunger to achieve titles and wins for this club. We need to put all the focus now on Saturday's game, the beginning of the Premier League. Let's focus on Saturday because the good thing in football is you can change everything in the next game."
Palhinha is looking forward to the challenge ahead at Tottenham and believes that everything is in place to achieve something big at the club in a season with so many competitions to tackle, including the Champions League.
"I think it's the beginning of a journey together. It's a new team for me as well. Tottenham is a great club. It has all the conditions to achieve good things. It showed in the past and for sure it will show again in the future. I shared the dressing room with top players as well," he said.
"We have a top coach who is a top human being. I think we have all the conditions together to achieve good things. I think we just need to be with our heads up and keep fighting because the journey is really long. But as I said, Saturday starts a new journey for us as a team and we are really motivated for the beginning of the Premier League."
Palhinha's move marks a return to the capital after a couple of productive years at Craven Cottage and he is relishing stepping back into Premier League life.
"I enjoyed it when I played in Fulham the two years that I was there. I really miss the Premier League. I think it's a league that everyone wants to play in," he said. "When you play there and go to play outside somewhere else, you miss something. I'm really proud to be back again to the Premier League. I'm really happy to be on this top club and top team. I just need to enjoy it."