It wasn’t brilliant, but Paris was able to provide the essentials. In a match that they had several opportunities to kill, the Paris Saint-Germain players were content with a draw against Borussia Dortmund (1-1). A not really surprising scenario. After managing to equalize through Warren Zaire-Emery, Luis Enrique’s men undoubtedly thought they were paying dearly for their lack of offensive efficiency.
So, when AC Milan scored their second goal at Newcastle, the Rouge et Bleu knew they were qualified. When the fourth referee showed six minutes of added time, the Ile-de-France residents did not press the accelerator to win. They could have done so since a victory guaranteed them a more advantageous first place in view of the draw for the round of 16. But no. An inaction which had the gift of annoying Kylian Mbappé.
Luis Enrique defends himself
On the images of Canal+, we saw a Bondynois incomprehension and annoyed. Did he already imagine drawing Manchester City or Real Madrid next Monday? The fact remains that he took his shower in two minutes flat, before rushing first into the PSG bus, without stopping in front of the media. A sulk that did not go unnoticed. But his trainer, Luis Enrique, is not the type to step aside. At a press conference, the Spaniard clearly defended his choice not to rush into attack, recalling in passing the series of harvests of his offensives.
“It’s normal for the players to be frustrated, we had 5 chances to score, 5 very clear chances! We would be a bit stupid to continue taking risks in the 85th minute with the possibility of conceding a goal and being eliminated. When a player is frustrated because he wants to score more goals, that’s when I intervene by having an overview to say “yes we will win, but without taking excessive risks”. When the emotions come down after the match, it’s the time to appreciate that it was a great qualification. It was the most difficult group in the competition. Many would have liked to see us dead, but we are very alive”. To the wise…
