At the Etihad Stadium, Paris Saint-Germain left Manchester with a 4-2 victory that looked comfortable only from a distance. Luis Enrique’s side were 3-0 ahead at half-time, yet their coach described the evening as “very, very difficult” after Manchester City’s response.
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Luis Enrique said PSG had made an excellent start and turned it into three first-half goals, but warned that such a lead did not settle the contest.
“We started very well, scored three times and you think the match is finished, but it is not,” he said. “We had problems.”
The PSG coach praised City’s reaction and the quality of the opposition, referring to Enzo Maresca’s team as an exceptionally good side. He added that these are the kind of European-level matches his players want to play.
For Luis Enrique, the defining feature of PSG’s display was not merely the scoreline in Manchester but the application shown across the match. “What I liked most was the attitude and commitment of my team,” he said. “We did not stop, even after scoring three goals.”
He also accepted that the French champions had been fortunate at moments, acknowledging that City might have scored more than their two goals.
Asked whether PSG’s victory, following two consecutive Champions League titles, represented a statement to the rest of Europe, Luis Enrique dismissed the idea. “No. What message?” he said. “The message is that the team which wins the European Cup is the one that matters. It is not important to be the best at this stage of the competition.”
