Paris Saint-Germain head coach Luis Enrique did not hide his frustration after his side slipped to a narrow 2-1 defeat against Sporting CP at the Estadio Jose Alvalade on Tuesday night.
From the opening exchanges in Lisbon, PSG imposed themselves with authority, dictating the tempo, controlling possession and repeatedly carving out opportunities in the final third.
Despite that dominance, the French champions were left empty-handed, a scenario that left their coach both disappointed and defiant.
Speaking to PSG TV after the final whistle, Enrique described the outcome as deeply harsh on his players.
“This result is so unfair… It’s disappointing, and for me as a coach, you have to accept all possible situations in a football match, but it’s incredible,” he said.
“For me, and I say this honestly as always, we played our best away match of the season.”
He added: “We overcame the opponent throughout, controlled the match and created lots of chances.”
The Parisians created 11 chances against the host, including six big chances, and completed 10 key passes, showing strong attacking intent.
“But we’re not stupid, and we know that you have to score goals. I think we did everything to win this match, we were far superior, and it’s so unfair that it’s frustrating for us as a team to accept it.
“That’s how it is, we have to keep going.
“Clearly, we need to convert the chances we had, but this result is so unfair…”
He went on: “We have to continue, we know how tough this competition is.
“We were far better than our opponent and therefore didn’t see their qualities, and I think we will go very far in the Champions League because with this mentality and personality, I’m very proud of my players.”
Although the scoreboard told a painful story in Lisbon, PSG’s performance suggested a team growing in maturity and confidence.
For the Spanish tactician, if that level is maintained, results will eventually swing back in their favour.
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