No one, of course, had imagined it like that, dreamed that for its reunion with the quarter-finals of the Champions League, Paris would be beaten, caught at its own game and stolen the victory by its best enemy. But as attractive as it is, the most beautiful European competition is also of unequaled cruelty with those who court it with too much naivety and forgetting that other suitors, also in the ranks, can show themselves more attractive and extremely effective. If necessary, this is a bit of what the Barça of the “young” Xavi reminded the Paris of the experienced Enrique this Wednesday evening during this quarter-final first leg, all fire, all flame.
It had been more than a year, since the eighth leg lost without really playing against Bayern Munich (0-1), that Paris had not lost at home on the European scene. The setback conceded this Wednesday evening on a much heavier score (2-3) paradoxically did not send the same signals, nor gave the impression of having caused as much pain to the brains of the defeated.
On the pitch as well as in the mixed zone, of course, the contrast between the radiant faces of Barcelona and those of the Parisians, darker, stood out. But far from falling into generalized catastrophism or relying on a speech of circumstance rather than conviction, all Parisians only displayed credible signs of determination to reverse the tide in six days in Montjuic. Firstly because none of them ran away from the responsibilities and the failures of the day, starting with Luis Enrique.
“The result proves me wrong. I accept criticism »
“I thought I had chosen the best,” admitted the coach, referring to the questionable choices, notably that of leaving Zaire-Emery on the bench, in his starting eleven. The result proves me wrong. I accept criticism. I accept what defeat entails. » And the Spaniard added: “It’s a defeat that we don’t like. We were dominated in the first half. After their goal, we had doubts. Barcelona is a very good team. We were better in the second half, we changed the match. We had good times, difficult times but in the end the result was bad. »
“There is frustration after such a result,” admitted Marquinhos after the passage of Pedri and Raphinha all smiles in the mixed zone. Starting tomorrow (this Thursday), the coach will analyze what went wrong this evening. Some small details made the difference, Barça managed to put us in difficulty when they played forward and they controlled this match in midfield. They were really superior in the midfield. We made adjustments in the second half, the changes allowed us to be better placed. But the two goals that we concede at the end, we must avoid them. If we want to get victory in Barcelona, we must avoid these kinds of goals, especially in a strong moment. » A lucidity that the new record holder for the number of matches played in the Parisian jersey (436) adds to a surge of optimism: “But in the locker room, everyone talked to each other and showed themselves to be well motivated for the match back. »
Now, they have six days left to try to reverse the trend, to achieve the impossible, the unthinkable, the feat: a small comeback on the Catalans’ pitch. PSG has never qualified for the next round after losing the first leg at home in the Champions League. The Parisian club will therefore have to go through this to try to find a place in the last four of this competition which they have not reached since 2021. There are reasons for hope: suspended this Wednesday, Achraf Hakimi will be back, Bradley Barcola, who entered at half-time, could dynamite a stereotypical Parisian game from the start and we can say that Kylian Mbappé, transparent on the lawn of the Parc des Princes, cannot be more ghostly next week on Barcelona soil.
“They came to win here, we must go and win there”
Qualification would be a real achievement, but the mere prospect of finding themselves in the semi-final of the Champions League motivates Luis Enrique’s men more than ever. “There is a Champions League semi-final waiting for us. We are all motivated and we all want to qualify, says Lucas Hernandez, winner of this competition in 2020 with Bayern Munich. I think that with this team and this coach we will do everything to go to Barcelona to do it. I am confident: we have the team to achieve a result and we will go there to Barcelona to win the match and qualify. »
In the minutes following this defeat, it was this optimism, this belief and this desire to pull away, to continue this European epic, which emerged from the red and blue locker room. This setback hurt but it did not bring down Parisians determined to correct what was done wrong this Wednesday evening so as not to repeat the same mistakes next Tuesday on the pitch of the Montjuic stadium.
“We have six days to prepare for this return match,” proclaimed Luis Enrique after his team’s defeat. LP/Fred Dugit
“After the match, everyone talked to each other in the locker room, we said things to each other,” confides captain Marquinhos. We told each other the truth, we talked about the result, the goals we set, the things we needed to improve. It’s in these moments that we have to move forward, motivate ourselves and improve things for the second leg. Everything is open. They came to win here, we have to go and win there, like we did against Real Sociedad. We have to play our game and do what we can. There is a very good team up front, so we will have to play a full match in a week. »
The final word goes to the most optimistic of optimists: Luis Enrique. True to form, the Spanish technician said he was convinced by a reversal of the trend in six days. Seven years ago, he was the architect of the famous comeback which allowed Barça to overthrow PSG at the Camp Nou. Seven years later, the mission is less perilous, so needless to say, his faith remains unshakeable. “I have no doubt that we can achieve this goal. The change to the away goal rule allows for open matches in the Champions League. We haven’t lost away in Ligue 1. We have six days to prepare for this match. » And continue to believe in it…
