Sporting Portugal v PSG: Luis Enrique slams football, "crap sport" | OneFootball

Paris Saint-Germain was defeated 2-1 by Sporting Portugal (video summary Sporting Portugal/PSG) this Tuesday at the José Alvalade Stadium as part of the 7th matchday of the 2025-2026 Champions League. After this victory, Parisian coach Luis Enrique spoke at a press conference. 

Enrique "With this character, we are ready everywhere, in all stadiums."

How do you explain this defeat?

"It's very easy to explain. It's football. It's our best away game this season. We were better than the opponent. We clearly deserved to win. It's disappointing, very unfair. It's clear and true that the match is won when you score goals.

I am very proud of my players and my team. It's the personality we need to go far in the competition. I am confident for the future. With this character, we are ready everywhere, in all stadiums."

Enrique "You like criticism but I am very proud of my players."

Did Zabarnyi's entry destabilize the defense?

"We made the last change because Fabian Ruiz was injured. If there are problems, they are the coach's problems. Don't worry. I'm here for that. There's not just one team on the field. Football is a crappy sport! It's an unfair sport. You have to accept it.

This has happened to me often in my career. Like in Bilbao (0-0) where we were better or against PFC last week. It's frustrating. You like criticism but I am very proud of my players. It's the best way to go far in the competition."

Can this defeat mentally impact the players?

"We are used to it. I couldn't be prouder. We controlled the whole match. But we lose, it's incredible!"

Enrique "I am very proud of our team's personality."

How to regain confidence after this defeat?

"We had two goals disallowed. We were aggressive in defense, we controlled the match, we dominated. Our frustration in the last five minutes led us to make mistakes. If we have to play the playoffs, we are ready, clearly. Everyone knows what type of team we are. We are ready to show it."

Should you have tried your luck from a distance more often?

"We talked about it before the match. We shot. Not a lot, but enough to win. The spaces against a low block are not in the center but in the projection on the sides. I repeat: I am very proud of our team's personality. Football is like that. It's a very, very unfair result."

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