This Thursday, as part of the 2025 Champions Trophy, Paris Saint-Germain faced Olympique de Marseille in Kuwait. Marseille coach Roberto De Zerbi spoke to Ligue1+ after PSG’s penalty shootout victory (2-2, then 4-1 on penalties). He admitted to crying in the locker room after a very frustrating defeat.
De Zerbi: “We need to find some consistency in the team’s performances.”
“I’m disappointed because we played a very good game, but the defeat hurts. We played a very good match, a great game. What saddens me is that we want to make our mark on the modern history of this club and win a trophy, but we didn’t manage it.”
This isn’t the same defeat as against Nantes… We need to find some consistency in the team’s performances, give 100%, and that’s the most positive thing we can take away from this match.
Zerbi: “I cried when I walked into the locker room.”
What were your first words to your team?
“I’ve never cried after losing, and today (Thursday), I cried when I walked into the locker room. We prepared in a specific way against the best team in Europe, but today Marseille deserved to win.
Then I said that we have to demand of ourselves that we always produce this type of performance. Everything was there today: the play, the character, the technique, the defense… Everything a strong team needs to win against a team that has won everything in 2025,” as reported by L’Equipe.
There’s bound to be disappointment; OM wasn’t far from a resounding victory against PSG and a title. Admittedly, the Marseillais put in a great performance to trouble the Parisians, and a win wouldn’t have been undeserved. However, it’s often said that every minute counts, a point the Parisians regularly emphasize. And they also possess an impressive penalty-shooting prowess (5 wins under Luis Enrique).
So, De Zerbi is understandably experiencing a mix of pride and frustration. His team has done some great things; now they just need to see it through, whether it’s in a single match or over the course of the season. Because, as he points out, OM is also known for its inconsistency. They’ll need the same energy and focus in matches other than against PSG to avoid major regrets this summer.
For now, they need to come to terms with this trophy that was so close and then suddenly slipped away in a matter of minutes. After a tense, hard-fought match, there was every reason to let loose at the end, especially when the objective finally slipped away.
