Paris Saint-Germain and Paris FC faced off this Sunday at the Parc des Princes for Matchday 17 of the 2025-2026 Ligue 1 season. The match ended in a 2-1 victory for PSG. After the game, the 28-year-old Paris FC midfielder Maxime Lopez spoke in the mixed zone.
Lopez: “Besides doing that, what else can you do?”
“There’s a two- or even three-class difference. We came with what we had… There’s nothing to say, let’s be honest, we were missing three very important players, we can’t afford to have deficiencies like that. Obviously, people will say ‘they parked the bus,’ but when you see PSG’s level, besides doing that, what else can you do? We saw that this is how we managed to equalize.”
Lopez: “Wow, that’s something.”
“The second goal we conceded came too early, but I’m proud of the team; we showed a great side. They’re very strong. I’ve never seen PSG so dominant. It’s wow, it’s something else,” comments relayed by Foot Mercato.
Lopez doesn’t mince words; he was impressed by PSG and struggles to see how his team could have competed more. Even if there were times when they could have done better, which would have been easier with fewer players unavailable, coach Luis Enrique’s team was simply too strong.
Yet, they didn’t seem at their best. The feeling was that PSG were focused on physical conditioning for the upcoming match, with a bit of pacing involved. But they are still a very high-level team, boasting exceptional individual players. They controlled possession and their defense remained composed throughout.
This could be discouraging for Paris FC and other opponents. However, they have weapons at their disposal and will need to try to do better next Monday in the Round of 32 of the Coupe de France. Perhaps they’ll use a deep defensive block again, which almost paid off, as Lopez points out. But be warned, PSG also had several chances that went begging when there were promising opportunities. And ultimately, they lost, which isn’t exactly encouraging either.
