Paris Saint-Germain coach Luis Enrique has acknowledged that his team gave Bayern Munich “big gifts” during his team 2-1 Champions League loss on Tuesday night, while refusing to blame injuries for the defeat.
PSG struggled to keep up with Bayern Munich intense pressure, leading to Luiz Diaz double before the hour mark. The Colombian winger turn from hero to zero moments before the end of the interval as he was sent off for a what the referee declares as a dangerous tackle on Achraf Hakimi.
Hakimi was unable to continue, joining Ousmane Dembélé, who had already left the field due to injury.
Luis Enrique said at the post match press conference, “We’ll have to wait until tomorrow after the tests. Ousmane’s injury is unrelated to the previous one. It’s football -a contact sport.”
“It’s unlucky because it’s complicated for the player, but these things happen just like what happened to Bayern’s Jamal Musiala against PSG at the Club World Cup last July.”
Luis Enrique emphasized that despite the injury challenges, the team’s focus should remain on improving performance and minimizing mistakes.
He refused to blame the loss solely on the absence of key players, stating, “Injuries are part of the game, but what cost us was the lack of concentration and the errors we made at crucial moments.”
Enrique also praised Bayern Munich’s quality, acknowledging that they capitalized well on PSG’s lapses.
Looking ahead, Enrique stressed the importance of regrouping quickly to stay competitive in the Champions League, urging his squad to learn from the defeat and come back stronger.
Although PSG showed a glimpse of improved performance in the second half and controlled much of the play, and their efforts were rewarded when João Neves pulled one back to reduce the deficit. But they couldn’t find an equaliser due to Manuel Neuer’s impressive display at the post.
The coach admitted that the team has yet to have a full squad fit for any match this season. He stressed the need to manage the situation carefully and emphasized that no excuses will be made, as it’s the team’s responsibility to improve.
Despite the challenges, he remains calm and confident that the players will recover and the team will return to its high level, noting that they have already delivered some strong performances this season.
The win placed Bayern Munich at the top of the 36-team Champions League group stage with a perfect 12 points, while PSG dropped to third place, trailing by three points.
