Luis Enrique praised the atmosphere at Parc des Princes and the fighting spirit of Paris Saint-Germain following their thrilling 5-2 victory over Chelsea in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League round-of-16 clash on Wednesday.
On a vibrant European night in Paris, PSG delivered an attacking masterclass to secure a commanding advantage in the tie.
Yet even after the emphatic result, Enrique chose to spotlight both the influence of the supporters and the resilience shown by his players.
“What an atmosphere, it was incredible! The fans are incredible. I saw the tifos on the screen before the match from the dressing room, what a feeling as a coach!” Enrique said.
“I want to say to my players: enjoy playing in this stadium, in this atmosphere, in this confidence that you can feel in difficult moments.
“It’s so incredible that this victory is for them.”
As the match unfolded, PSG showed their attacking quality but also their ability to withstand pressure from a strong Chelsea side.
The gaffer acknowledged that his team were not flawless with the ball but insisted their mentality made the difference.
“It’s a victory for our players too because even if we’re not as precise as we’d like to be, we’re fighters and we have an incredible mentality.
“We’re a resilient team, that’s the word! We’re resilient, all the time.
“We saw that Chelsea are a very high-level team. That’s why they won so much last season, and we know them very well.”
With a three-goal cushion heading into the return leg, the French heavyweights appear to be in control of the tie.
However, Enrique made it clear that his side will not approach the second leg with a defensive mindset when they travel to London.
“The second leg? I have no doubt it will be a close and difficult match, just like today.
“But we’re not going to London to defend a result, nothing like that. Our mentality is to try to win the match, to attack, and to deserve to win the match because when you think about defending a result, it doesn’t work.
“I can assure you that we will try to do that. We are capable of winning this second leg.”
The return fixture in London now promises another high-stakes encounter, as PSG look to build on their strong first-leg performance and secure their place in the Champions League quarter-finals.
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