At 2.30am at Roissy-Charles de Gaulle, Paris Saint-Germain’s victory in Marseille was still burning brightly. Several hundred supporters waited through the night to welcome Luis Enrique’s players after their 2-1 Classique win, turning the airport arrival into a smoky, singing celebration.
A midnight welcome after the Classique
PSG returned from the Vélodrome on Sunday night after beating Marseille in the final fixture of Ligue 1’s fifth round. The Paris players were met by a guard of honour from supporters, with flares lighting the scene and chants carrying through the early hours.
- Marquinhos scored the decisive goal in the 2-1 victory.
- The squad greeted supporters with applause, high-fives and broad smiles after landing.
- Ferran Torres, signed from Barcelona this summer, experienced the intensity of PSG support first-hand.
- The Spanish forward scored seven minutes after coming on, finding the net in the 66th minute.
- Torres has already registered seven goals in six appearances for Paris, including four in Ligue 1.
Support from Paris, not Marseille
Paris supporters had been unable to attend the match in Marseille. As has been the case for several seasons, away fans were barred from travelling to the Vélodrome for the rivalry fixture.
The Collectif Ultras Paris challenged the restriction before the Council of State, but its appeal was rejected. Instead, supporters gathered at PSG’s training centre on Saturday to send the players off for the trip south.
Luis Enrique: Winning the rivalry mattered
Luis Enrique said his side had faced a difficult contest despite leaving Marseille with all three points. He felt PSG gradually controlled the first half but struggled to create clear openings against an organised Marseille defence.
The coach believed Paris made a far sharper start after the interval, producing numerous major chances but failing to take several of them. PSG then scored, only to concede an equaliser soon afterwards, which made the closing stages tense once more.
- “The opening minutes were difficult and we tried to take control,” Luis Enrique said.
- “They defended very well and played a very good game, so it was complicated.”
- “In the second half we began brilliantly and created many chances, but we missed too many.”
- “The aim is to take the three points, give our supporters a good moment and win these Classiques.”
For the supporters waiting at Roissy, the result had already done exactly that.
