PSG supporters were '12th man' in Champions League win, says Luis Enrique
MUNICH, Germany : Paris St Germain coach Luis Enrique paid tribute to his team's supporters who he described as like a 12th man as they roared the French club to a long-awaited Champions League title and paid an emotional tribute to his late daughter Xana.
Desire Doue scored twice to lead PSG to their first European Cup triumph with a crushing 5-0 victory over Inter Milan on Saturday.
Enrique, visibly emotional after the final whistle and wearing a T-shirt with a tribute to Xana who died of cancer aged nine in 2019, thanked the supporters who unveiled huge banners featuring images of his daughter.
When the match finished he went to the stands to change into a T-shirt that showcased an illustration of Xana planting a PSG flag into the ground.
"I'm very happy," Enrique said. "It was very emotional at the end with the banner from the fans for my family. But I always think about my daughter."
The French side completely overwhelmed Inter from the opening whistle, drawing praise from Enrique for playing with high intensity, and he singled out Ousmane Dembele for putting in a tireless performance.
Enrique also said he remained calm despite the emotions, confident his young side had put in the preparations needed to handle the pressure that comes with playing in such a high-stakes final.
"A coach needs to control their emotions – you need to deal with the pressure in order to help the players," he said. "We prepared the final with the necessary calm to put the excitement in the right place. Now we can enjoy it; we can take the trophy back to Paris."
PSG's young team achieved what the likes of Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe could not do in their colours as they became only the second French side to win the trophy after Olympique de Marseille in 1993.
The victory made Enrique the second manager, after his former Barcelona teammate Pep Guardiola, to win the continental treble of League, Cup and Champions League in one season twice, both winning their first with Barca and their second by beating Inter.
Enrique also thanked the Inter players for their sportsmanship for staying on the pitch after the final whistle.
"I want to congratulate Inter – all the players and staff," Luis Enrique said. "They showed us respect at the end; it's a lesson for everyone – you have to know how to lose."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNA
an hour ago
- CNA
England win over Spain would be confidence boost ahead of Euros, says Bronze
BARCELONA : England defender Lucy Bronze said a positive result from Tuesday's Nations League game against world champions Spain would set her team up nicely for the defence of their European Championship title. While England are coming off a 6-0 Nations League thrashing of Portugal on Friday at Wembley, Spain defeated Belgium 5-1 to remain top of the group with one game remaining. The winners of the four groups advance to the knockout finals starting in October. "(A win would give us) a lot of confidence, but we already have beaten them this year so we've got a lot of confidence from that," Bronze told reporters on Monday, referring to England's 1-0 Nations League win over the Spaniards in February. "That Spain performance from us in Wembley was brilliant. You can find things to gain confidence from. It's not the be-all and end-all (Tuesday)," she said. "In terms of the Nations League it is. (But) we might not even face Spain in the Euros. We get confidence from ourselves and others." Tuesday's match in Barcelona is England's last before manager Sarina Wiegman announces her European Championship squad on Thursday. "We are pretty close (to finalising the squad)," Wiegman said. "Still you want to go to the game tomorrow and then make the final decisions, but we are pretty close." The one big Euros question mark is the fitness of Chelsea striker Lauren James, who has not played since suffering a hamstring injury in April. "We're trying to get her fit. She's trying to get fit with all the support from Chelsea and us. She is doing really well," Wiegman said. "She needs to tick some boxes and progress. We need her to be fit and healthy and perform at her highest level." Wiegman is also without defender Millie Bright, who withdrew from camp for an extended period saying she was "mentally and physically" at her limit. "Millie is a real big personality and big player for England and Chelsea," Bronze said. "She's missed with what she brings on and off the pitch. We want to make sure she's OK both physically and mentally. She's someone who's quite tough and it's brave that she came out and spoke.."
CNA
an hour ago
- CNA
British PM Starmer unveils defence spending plans for 'warfighting readiness'
The UK is set to release a key defence review, which aims to ensure that its armed forces is ready and able to fight in a modern war. The assessment will warn of an "immediate and pressing" threat from Russia, as well as the "sophisticated and persistent" challenge China poses to British interests. The UK's existing fleet of nuclear-powered attack submarines will be expanded, with a new model developed with Australia under the AUKUS security pact that also includes the US. Olly Barratt reports from London.
CNA
an hour ago
- CNA
Greece postpones basketball finals game after courtside dispute
ATHENS :Greece's government on Monday postponed a basketball game between local rivals Olympiacos and Panathinaikos and threatened to cancel the national championship after tensions between team owners boiled over at a match on Sunday. Olympiacos basketball owners Panagiotis and George Aggelopoulos, and Panathinaikos owner Dimitris Giannakopoulos clashed over the alleged use of obscene gestures and offensive chants by spectators. The sides were scheduled to play the third of five potential end-of-season games on Wednesday, but that game has been put on hold after Government spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis said the owners would appear in front of the deputy sports minister and promise that this behaviour will not be repeated. "Otherwise, this year's championship will be permanently suspended," Marinakis added. Olympiacos and Panathinaikos, two of Greece's biggest basketball clubs, recently played each other for third place in the EuroLeague finals in Abu Dhabi. Violence has plagued sport in Greece in recent years. Two young soccer fans were killed in 2023 and 2022, and a Greek court found a 20-year old man guilty of manslaughter over the 2023 death of a policeman hit by a flare during clashes with spectators at a volleyball game. Authorities have promised to crack down to tackle the issue.
