Paris FC/PSG – Kombouaré is pleased but keeps his feet on the ground

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·18 de mayo de 2026

Paris FC/PSG – Kombouaré is pleased but keeps his feet on the ground

Paris Saint-Germain and Paris FC faced off this Sunday at Stade Jean Bouin as part of the 34th matchday of Ligue 1 2025-2026. The match ended in a 2-1 defeat for PSG (Paris FC/PSG video highlights). After the match, PFC coach Antoine Kombouaré spoke at the press conference. He was naturally very proud of his players, while also acknowledging that they were able to benefit from an opponent whose mind was more focused on its Champions League final on May 30 against Arsenal.

Kombouaré: “What we are experiencing is incredible.”

How did you feel about the winning goal? I already felt we were not far from victory. Scoring the second goal was good, but we still had to hold on to the result. Then, of course, there is a lot of pride. What we are experiencing is incredible. I realize how lucky I am to coach this team, to see boys who never give up. Today, they showed a lot of character, showed that they wanted to go and get at least a draw. And then they were rewarded for their efforts. (…) We saw the changes on the other side, it was no longer PSG’s strongest team... They were managing things a bit for the final. And we, we pressed where it hurt. We were able to force them into mistakes, and to score that second goal. Congratulations to the group, this is a team victory. The mentality is good. We’re being rewarded.

Kombouaré: “They all already have the final a little bit on their minds.”

Luis Enrique spoke of a non-performance from his team. Do you agree? I wouldn’t say that, but I think we deserved our win. It’s never easy: PSG’s players take the field wanting to do things well, but they don’t want to get injured. They all already have the final a little bit on their minds. Above all, we had to defend well, exploit the spaces, and take them on one-on-one. We forced them into mistakes, they had an average match and we played at 100% of our ability. That was the condition for winning.

Kombouaré: “Don’t dream, guys, seriously.”

Does this second Paris FC win over PSG in three matches mark the beginning of a sporting rivalry? Don’t dream, guys, seriously (he laughs). Very honestly, we are dwarfs next to PSG, I’m saying it in my own words but that’s how it is. Of course we’re capable of winning, but those guys are going to be two-time European champions! Us at 100% and them at 50% gives a 2-1 win, but if they are at 100%, there’s no contest.

Kombouaré: “It will sting them”

Can this defeat affect PSG? I think it can only do them good. It will sting them, they are proud, competitive. Tomorrow, they will already have moved on, they are champions and I wholeheartedly hope they win that final. They have my support.”, comments relayed by Le Parisien.

The PFC coach is absolutely right to highlight the merit of his players, both in this match and over the season. Nothing came easy, and he arrived during the season to a squad that seemed to be drifting toward relegation back to Ligue 2. It took character and solidarity to respond.

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That is exactly what Kombouaré and his players did very well in order to achieve important results, and sometimes very memorable ones too. They deserve credit. As they did this Sunday, even if there was of course a PSG side whose priority was somewhere else entirely. That was clear in Luis Enrique’s selection. Even so, the latter was still very annoyed by the lack of intensity shown by his players.

However, the Spaniard also suggested that he “can understand.” It was a match with no real stakes at the end of a very congested schedule stretching over more than a year. It is not unusual for his team not to be at its best. The players mainly wanted to avoid injury ahead of the Champions League final.

Kombouaré is right to keep that in mind in order to avoid the media overhyping a rivalry. The local proximity makes this match special, and the results have gone in PFC’s favor this season (qualification in the Coupe de France, and one Ligue 1 win each). But the context of yesterday’s win should not be forgotten. Qualification in the cup had also come down to fine margins.

However, Paris FC can fully enjoy this victory as they close out the season, while PSG is already focused on its final major step.

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