Luis Enrique blames PSG’s loss to Atletico Madrid on bad luck
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PSG coach Luis Enrique was a frustrated figure during his side's Champions League clash with Atletico Madrid.
PHOTO: AFP
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PARIS – Paris Saint-Germain coach Luis Enrique blamed his team’s 2-1 home loss to Atletico Madrid on bad luck, admitting the Ligue 1 leaders’ qualification chances were in danger as they plunged into the red zone of the Champions League group phase on Nov 6.
PSG applied their usual possession patterns but were again toothless in attack, owing Warren Zaire-Emery’s 14th-minute opener to an Atletico defensive blunder.
Nahuel Molina equalised four minutes later and the visitors’ resilience paid off three minutes into injury time thanks to second-half substitute Angel Correa’s goal at the end of a counter-attack – a scenario that Enrique labelled a “bad joke” at the end of a “s****y day”.
“There are no words. In our three home games, we were highly superior to our opponents but we did not have any luck,” the coach said.
“But as long as there are matches, we will fight,” he added, with his team next travelling to Bayern Munich on Nov 26.
PSG are 25th in the 36-team league, just inside the elimination zone, midway through the group phase, which ends on Jan 29.
“I’ve been in the game for over 30 years and I can’t explain it. It’s just bad luck. We were infinitely superior to our opponents. We would have deserved to win our three home games comfortably,” added Enrique.
Asked if PSG’s chances of progressing to the knockout phase were in danger, he said: “Undoubtedly.
“We created 50 chances in three games and we failed to convert so many of them... we need 20 clear chances to score and our opponents sneeze and they score... it sounds like a bad joke.
“Creating chances is the team’s responsibility and I’m responsible for the team, so I’m responsible for the results. If I fail, I will fail with my ideas. We’re on the right path.”
His Atletico counterpart Diego Simeone praised his team for their performance, despite their injuries in defence.
“Today we were missing five players in defence. Despite these absences, the team were strong; we conceded the goal on a mistake but we continued to play,” he said after a result that put them on six points, above the elimination zone.
Elsewhere, a second-half Jamal Musiala goal got Bayern back on track in the competition with a 1-0 home win over Benfica.
Struggling in Europe after back-to-back losses left them outside the knockout places, Musiala broke through the stubborn Benfica defence, heading in a Harry Kane assist. Despite the win, 17th-placed Bayern still have work to do.
In another match, Barcelona coach Hansi Flick said he was pleased with his players’ focus and determination to earn a commanding 5-2 win at Red Star Belgrade.
After a win that lifted Barca to sixth place on nine points, having scored a competition-leading 15 goals in four games, Flick said he liked how his side got things done with the seriousness required.
“The most important thing is the three points, it’s not easy to win away from home in this competition, the Champions League is complicated,” the German, who led Bayern to the 2020 Champions League title, told Movistar Plus. REUTERS, AFP
