Paris Saint-Germain defeated AS Monaco 3-2 this Tuesday at the Stade Louis II in the first leg of the 2025-2026 Champions League playoffs (second leg on February 25). After this victory, PSG coach Luis Enrique spoke at a press conference.
Enrique: “It’s difficult to have confidence when you’re two goals down.”
Are you surprised by your team’s mentality?
“When a team starts like that, the most normal thing is to lose the match. It’s impossible to have confidence if you start like that. Monaco scored two goals from their first two chances. It’s difficult to have confidence when you’re two goals down. These are special moments.
But we showed our level in terms of mental strength. Plus, we missed a penalty; it was a moment to regain our confidence.” I’m happy with the result and what we showed. But it’s a shame not to have scored a fourth goal, especially playing against a team with ten men.
Did you take any risks by starting Ousmane Dembélé?
“That’s football; we try to manage each player individually. I didn’t take any risks; he trained normally yesterday. We’ll have to see the tests tomorrow to know the exact injury, because he took a knock during the first 15 minutes. We’re trying to manage it in the best way possible.”
What’s your opinion on Désiré Doué’s performance?
“We’re a very young team. Nobody thought we were going to win last season. The pressure is different to manage now because everyone knows we can win. I’m very happy for Désiré because last week, everyone criticized and attacked Doué.
He was sensational; he showed personality and character.” I’m very happy for him because he helped the team at the best possible time. We thrive on the pressure of winning again, and that’s what we’ll strive for until the very last match.
Enrique: “We started in the worst possible way, conceding a goal in the first minute.”
How do you explain your team’s defensive struggles?
“We’re one of the best defensive teams in the Champions League; the statistics can show that. But football is unpredictable. We started in the worst possible way, conceding a goal in the first minute. They scored on their second chance. After that, it became such a different kind of match, one that we managed to overcome.
I especially want to commend our fans. I’ve never seen fans of this caliber, as a player or a coach. I could hear them the whole time, even when we were losing 2-0. Normally, when a team loses, the fans start booing. On the contrary, our fans are there the whole time. They’re incredible.” I would like to dedicate this victory to them.
Do you have any regrets after the match?
“The match changed with Golovin’s sending-off, and after that card we had a lot of chances because they defended with a low block. It’s a shame we didn’t score a fourth goal. We had opportunities, we could have scored. I’m happy with the result considering how the match started. But there’s still the match in Paris, it will be difficult. It will be a different story.”
What were you thinking when your team was down 2-0?
“I wanted to go home to my wife and children.”
