PARIS — Paris Saint-Germain manager Luis Enrique expressed his disappointment in his team’s performance, specifically for allowing Bayern Munich to score easily, stating that they could have lost by a larger margin than 2-1 in their Champions League clash on Tuesday.
This match marked the defending champions’ first loss in the competition this season, ending their unbeaten run at four games and their second overall defeat of the year. Meanwhile, Bayern continued their dominance with a 16th consecutive victory across all competitions.
Bayern opened the scoring within four minutes and doubled their lead in the 32nd minute, both goals coming from Colombian forward Luis Díaz, who was later sent off in the first half following a reckless challenge on Achraf Hakimi for a wild tackle.
“When it was 11 against 11, they were clearly superior to us in the first half. They created more opportunities and we handed them some easy chances,” Luis Enrique remarked. “When you offer such gifts to top players, they will capitalize. I make no excuses; we need to perform better.”
He struggled to pinpoint the reasons for his team’s shortcomings, particularly during the one-sided first half where Bayern dominated.
“I have no explanation; it is simply how it is. We gave away too many gifts. They scored two but could have netted four. I’m disappointed because I expected a higher standard from my team,” he lamented.
This season, PSG has been plagued by injuries, with forward Ousmane Dembélé and right-back Hakimi, who was injured by Díaz’s foul, both exiting the match early due to injuries.
Luis Enrique acknowledged that he needs to manage the club’s injury crisis more effectively. PSG also missed injured forward Désiré Doué.
“When injured players return, they’re often not at 100% fitness,” he explained. “Given my experience, I really should handle this situation better as a coach.”
On the other hand, Bayern coach Vincent Kompany highlighted the importance of teamwork in achieving the victory.
“It’s the hard work that pays off, reflected in both halves of the match. Winning challenges and securing second balls is essential. You can never fully neutralize PSG’s threat as they are dynamic and have great rhythm with the ball,” he noted.
Kompany plans to remind his players “not to get carried away” by their impressive 16-game winning streak.
“From tomorrow, we start fresh,” he concluded.
This article incorporates information from The Associated Press.