Luis Enrique hails deserved Paris Saint-Germain win over Atalanta | OneFootball

Paris Saint-Germain began their Champions League title defense with a resounding 4-0 victory over Atalanta on Wednesday at the Parc des Princes in the French capital.

Without the injured Ousmane Dembélé and Désiré Doué, coach Luis Enrique watched the first half from the stands to get a better view of the field. According to the coach, PSG’s victory was well-deserved.

“It was difficult at first to overcome Atalanta’s pressure. We created many chances and I think we deserved the win. It was a tough match. With the quality of our players, we have to try to improve in all phases of the game,” summarized the PSG coach.

Chevalier’s Calm Debut

Atalanta, who finished the first half without a single shot on goal, revitalized their attack with Lazar Samardzic and Nikola Krstovic coming on for Daniel Maldini, son of Milan legend Paolo, and Charles de Ketelaere.

But little changed. Early in the second half, Nuno Mendes received a long pass from Barcola, dribbled past his markers on the left, and shot into the corner of the net.

Five days before the French capital hosts the Ballon d’Or ceremony, PSG showed the football world that they remain the most well-tuned orchestra, managing to have nine of their players among the 30 nominees for the prestigious individual award—a record.

Among the nominees was goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, now at Manchester City, who was forced to leave after the signing of Lucas Chevalier.

Photo: FRANCK FIFE / AFP

The only change in the starting lineup compared to last season’s squad was the former Lille goalkeeper, who made his first appearance at 15 minutes, saving a header from Mario Pasalic.

PSG didn’t push too hard, but Gonçalo Ramos took advantage of a glaring defensive error to seal the rout in stoppage time.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.