Paris Saint-Germain beat FC Espaly 2-4 Espaly/PSG video highlights) on Wednesday at the Stade Marcel Michelin in the round of 16 of the Coupe de France 2024-2025. After the match, Paris coach Luis Enrique (54) spoke to beIN SPORTS. The Spaniard was full of praise for his opponents, but also regretted the state of the pitch.
Luis Enrique “It’s a rugby pitch, although I’m not looking for excuses. ”
Did the opposing coach do anything exceptional tonight?
Yes, first of all I’d like to congratulate Lionel, the coach, and this club. It was very difficult. We had a lot of trouble qualifying, they put us in danger, they scored 2 goals, it was a tricky match.
How do you explain your difficulties?
There are a number of reasons, including the pitch. It’s a rugby pitch, although I’m not looking for excuses. My players had a very good attitude, the Espaly players were excellent and it was difficult to find the right combination.
Luis Enrique: “They were all over the place, closing down spaces”.
They defended very well, they were well organized, they were really everywhere to close down spaces. But if we look in depth at this match, how many Ligue 1 teams have been eliminated this week?
There were changes in the 45th minute, Safonov warming up for the penalty shoot-out, is that a mark of respect for the opponent?
No, that’s not it. You have to be prepared. I don’t know if there would have been a change – we trust our goalkeepers. But we were preparing for the penalty shoot-out.
