Luis Enrique blames Paris Saint-Germain’s defeat on ‘gifts’ given to Bayern Munich

PARIS – Paris Saint-Germain coach Luis Enrique said his team handed Bayern Munich “big gifts” in their 2-1 Champions League defeat on Nov 4, but insisted he was not looking for excuses despite mounting injuries within the defending champions’ squad.

PSG were overwhelmed in the first half, falling 2-0 behind after a Luis Diaz double before the Colombian winger was sent off for a dangerous tackle on Achraf Hakimi, who had to be replaced before the break, following Ousmane Dembele back into the dressing room.

“We’ll have to wait until tomorrow after the tests,” Luis Enrique said at the press conference.

“Ousmane’s injury has nothing to do with the previous one. It’s football – a contact sport. It’s unlucky because it’s complicated for the player, but these things happen like it happened to (Bayern’s) Jamal Musiala (against PSG at the Club World Cup last July).”

PSG have been ravaged by injuries this season with Dembele, Desire Doue, Bradley Barcola, Joao Neves and Fabian Ruiz all being sidelined.

While Luis Enrique admitted he needed to manage his squad better, he was not looking for excuses.

“In the first half, they were better than us. They created more chances, and we made some big gifts,” the Spaniard said. “When you make that kind of gifts to players like this, it’s normal to lose the match — we could even have conceded more goals.”

PSG improved after the break but were unable to convert long spells of possession into goals. “We did the job well in the second half and could have drawn the game,” Luis Enrique said.

Despite the setback, the coach said he remained calm.

“I can’t remember a single match this season with the whole team fit,” he said.

“We have to manage that. I’m not looking for excuses – it’s our responsibility to do better. I’m calm and confident we’ll recover our players and our level. We’ve still played some very good matches.”

The result left Bayern top of the 36-team Champions League table with a maximum 12 points, while PSG sit third, three points behind.

Bayern took the lead inside five minutes when Michael Olise was denied by goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier, only for the loose ball to fall to Diaz to fire in.

The German champions then overwhelmed PSG’s usually unflappable midfield and defence with their intense pressing game.

Diaz grabbed a second when he robbed Marquinhos of possession and slotted home after the half-hour.

The Colombian went from hero to villain on the stroke of half-time when he clumsily chopped down Hakimi, and the Moroccan’s left ankle twisted under the challenge.

As Hakimi sobbed and was helped off, the referee gave Diaz a yellow card and then upgraded it to red after a review.

His dismissal changed the game as PSG fought back in the second period but Joao Neves’ 74th-minute header was not enough to stop PSG falling to a first defeat in the league phase.

Bayern’s sensational start to the campaign has seen them win all 16 games in all competitions, including four in the Champions League – they are one of only two clubs with 12 points in Europe’s elite competition alongside Arsenal.

“I know the Champions League winner is not decided now, otherwise PSG would not have won it last season,” said Bayern coach Vincent Kompany.

“But now it is just about getting to the next round and this was a very important three points.”

Meanwhile, Bayern have lodged a protest with Uefa about “unacceptable” and “surprising” security measures implemented by French police ahead of the clash.

The measures, issued on Nov 3, included requiring all Bayern fan buses to wait outside the city and be accompanied to and from the Parc des Princes by a police escort.

The measure also requires all Bayern fans to “travel to the stadium exclusively via public transport”.

Hosts PSG were supportive of Bayern’s protest, the statement outlined. REUTERS, AFP