Paris Saint-Germain traveled to the Geoffroy Guichard Stadium for the 27th matchday of Ligue 1 to face AS Saint-Etienne. The Stéphanois opened the scoring and dominated part of the first half. However, after halftime, Luis Enrique’s players returned to their usual standards, raising their level and delivering a severe comeback and thrashing to ASSE (1-6, see the video summary of ASSE/PSG). Eirik Horneland, coach of the Greens, spoke to DAZN microphones to reflect on this heavy defeat.
Are you happy with the first half?
Yes, I was very happy with the first half. Toward the end of the first half, we could feel it starting to slip away. Then there was the penalty, and it killed us for the second half.
Are you a fan of the crowd singing?
Yes, they are exceptional.
Horneland: “We only had one half to be competitive against them.”
What happened?
“We played a great first half, and then everything collapsed in the second. For 40 minutes, we worked hard, but in the second half, it’s difficult to maintain that intensity. We tried with short passes, but we didn’t have the ability to keep going like that. Paris is a great team; we couldn’t be competitive against them for more than one half.”
Does it always feel like the same kind of match?
“For me, individual mistakes come from the risks we take. For 40–45 minutes, we played well and tried to create a good match. In the second half, we lacked the physicality and mentality to stay in a match like that against PSG.”
Are you afraid for what’s next?
“You must not be afraid, you must not be scared. We need to be competitive. We have to stay positive.”
