On Monday, Paris Saint-Germain faced Olympique de Marseille in the closing match of Ligue 1’s Matchday 5 and lost 1–0. After the game, PSG coach Luis Enrique spoke to PSG TV about the result.
Luis Enrique: “It’s a match that’s always important for us.”
“We’re used to playing this kind of match, but in the first half we lacked composure. I think we made a lot of mistakes, and that’s a shame.
But it’s normal in football — mistakes are part of the game. I think in the second half the team played better and created more chances. We had three clear goal opportunities, and it’s unfortunate that it ended like this because it’s a match that’s always important for us.”
It was a special, rescheduled match played in difficult conditions, with PSG missing four of their key players. Of course, that doesn’t excuse the defeat, but under such circumstances it’s hard to blame this Parisian side, which still managed to dominate part of a match it couldn’t quite win.
Marseille, for its part, was at 200%, fully aware this was the game to beat PSG — and they succeeded. Congratulations to them. But overall, there won’t be many lasting memories of this game, which wasn’t particularly spectacular.
Even PSG fans themselves quickly moved past the defeat after Paris’s 28-year-old forward Ousmane Dembélé won the Ballon d’Or. The season is still long, and the Red and Blue know they’ll have their chance for revenge at the Parc des Princes in February.