Luis Enrique applauds keeper Chevalier after dream PSG debut
UDINE : Lucas Chevalier impressed on his debut as Paris St Germain's new first-choice goalkeeper on Wednesday in their Super Cup victory over Tottenham Hotspur, drawing praise from manager Luis Enrique.
The 23-year-old former Lille keeper was thrust into the spotlight after Luis Enrique made it clear earlier this week that Gianluigi Donnarumma had been axed from the squad, prompting the Italian international to begin searching for a new club.
Chevalier, who arrived at the club on Sunday, earned praise from teammates and fans alike after making several acrobatic saves, including Micky van de Ven's attempt during the penalty shootout.
'We relied on Lucas … he just arrived, but it was time for him to show off. We're very happy because he made it,' Luis Enrique told reporters after PSG beat Tottenham 4-3 on penalties.
'This is PSG, you have to know how to handle the pressure, Lucas is a top-class goalkeeper, he's capable of it. He did his job, welcome to him with a trophy.'
Luis Enrique admitted that the publicity surrounding Donnarumma was far from ideal for the club.
'Everyone was talking about the situation; his (Lucas's position) wasn't easy, but he showed great character,' Luis Enrique added.
'It's a bit of a script: he comes in and saves a penalty. It's a good start for him, we're happy,' teammate Ousmane Dembele said.
PSG will start their Ligue 1 campaign at Nantes on Sunday.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
10 hours ago
- The Sun
Kane and Diaz lead Bayern to German Super Cup win over Stuttgart
BAYERN Munich secured a record 10th German Super Cup victory with a 2-1 win over Stuttgart on Saturday. Harry Kane and Luis Diaz were the heroes for Bayern, each finding the net in a hard-fought contest. The match marked the first edition of the competition renamed in honour of Franz Beckenbauer, who passed away earlier this year. Kane opened the scoring in the 18th minute, finishing off a slick move involving Michael Olise. The England captain now has 86 goals in 97 appearances for Bayern since joining last summer. Stuttgart pushed hard for an equaliser in the second half, spurred on by a passionate home crowd. Diaz doubled Bayern's lead in the 77th minute with a close-range header from Serge Gnabry's cross. The Colombian celebrated by mimicking former Liverpool teammate Diogo Jota's signature video-game tribute. Jota tragically died in a car accident in July, making Diaz's gesture particularly poignant. Stuttgart pulled one back through Jamie Leweling in stoppage time, but it proved too little too late. Bayern captain Joshua Kimmich hailed the win as a statement of intent for the new season. 'We wanted to show everyone that we're here,' Kimmich told Sat 1. The build-up to the match was overshadowed by transfer rumours surrounding Stuttgart striker Nick Woltemade. Bayern reportedly made multiple bids for the German forward, but Stuttgart stood firm. On the pitch, Bayern kept Woltemade quiet for most of the game, limiting Stuttgart's attacking threat. Olise was instrumental in Bayern's opener, delivering a perfectly weighted pass for Kane. Stuttgart's defence failed to deal with the danger, allowing Kane to slot home with precision. The hosts came close to equalising late on, with Woltemade heading over from a promising position. Manuel Neuer produced a stunning save to deny Leweling before Diaz sealed the win. Bayern will begin their Bundesliga campaign against RB Leipzig on Friday.
The Star
20 hours ago
- The Star
Soccer-Ambitious PSG want to continue making history, says Luis Enrique
Soccer Football - UEFA Super Cup - Final - Paris St Germain v Tottenham Hotspur - Bluenergy Stadium, Udine, Italy - August 13, 2025 Paris St Germain coach Luis Enrique celebrates after winning the UEFA Super Cup REUTERS/Jennifer Lorenzini/File Photo (Reuters) -Paris St Germain coach Luis Enrique has been impressed by the improvement his players have shown after one week of training following a busy summer when they finished as Club World Cup runners-up and believes they can retain the Champions League. PSG had only a few training sessions before beating Tottenham Hotspur on penalties to win the UEFA Super Cup on Wednesday, with Luis Enrique praising his team's fighting spirit as they begin the quest for a fifth Ligue 1 title in a row. "I like the way the team fought in the European Super Cup, with little training. That has been the DNA of this team in recent seasons, fighting all the time," he told reporters on the eve of the visit to Nantes for his side's league opener. "What we want now is to get our feel for the ball back ... at the moment it's normal not to be at 100%." Luis Enrique, who has won back-to-back league titles at PSG, previously led Barcelona to two LaLiga trophies in a row but fell short of a hat-trick. The 55-year-old said he expected a difficult start to the Ligue 1 campaign, but remained hopeful of a win at Nantes, who finished 13th last season. "I can see improvements after just one week. We know how difficult it is for players to play away from home, against any team. In Nantes, we're going to have problems. It will be tight," he said. Asked about PSG's ultimate goal this season, the Spaniard said he wanted to win the Champions League again following their 5-0 thrashing of Inter Milan in this year's final. "The prevailing feeling is that of continuing to make history, which has been the primary objective since day one. It's a special moment because it's difficult to see a team win the Champions League twice in a row," he said. "That's our goal. We're very ambitious. We know how difficult this goal is, but it's normal to have this mentality. It depends on us, on our level. And I think it's a very fun goal." (Reporting by Chiranjit Ojha in Bengaluru; Editing by Ken Ferris)
Malay Mail
21 hours ago
- Malay Mail
Gene sex test mix-ups leave Canada and France racing clock ahead of World Athletics deadline
MANCHESTER, Aug 16 — Female Canadian athletes have been told that the new gene tests they recently underwent do not comply with World Athletics' requirements, leaving them scrambling to complete new tests before the September 1 deadline for the world championships. French athletes are also seeking meets and camps outside their country to complete the one-off tests after the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Sports ruled them illegal in France. Athletics Canada commissioned Dynacare to conduct SRY gene tests, which help to determine biological sex, at the recent national championships. However, in an email sent this week to athletes and seen by Reuters it said Dynacare 'has advised us that the test kits they provided were not of the required standard.' Athletics Canada CEO Mathieu Gentes told Reuters on Friday that the federation is 'doing everything within its power in the interest of athletes to ensure that we meet World Athletics' September 1st deadline for completion of the test. 'It's a rapidly evolving situation which we're dealing with in real time,' Gentes said. 'We are working on solutions to assist athletes in locations around the world.' Dynacare, who were not immediately available to comment, are sending new test kits to athletes based in Canada and the US, along with testing locations, according to Athletics Canada. The French Athletics Federation (FFA) had planned to test athletes at the national championships but was told 'such tests are prohibited under the French Bioethics Law enacted in 1994,' the FAA said in a statement to Reuters. 'As a result, ultimately, no action was carried out. 'The federation is confident in World Athletics' ability to quickly find a solution and to ensure that French athletes can take part in international competitions under the best possible conditions.' World Athletics is working with the French federation to help athletes obtain tests at other meets or at their pre-worlds training camp outside France, said Jackie Brock-Doyle, Director of Special Projects for the sport's governing body. Brock-Doyle also said World Athletics is working with federations from Poland, Belgium and Switzerland to help facilitate testing for athletes competing at the four remaining Diamond League meetings hosted by those countries. Test approved World Athletics approved the introduction of a test to determine if an athlete is biologically female at their council meeting in March. '(The federations) all knew in March that we were going to introduce the SRY test,' Brock-Doyle told Reuters. 'We were asked during the press conference, 'Would we be bringing it in for the world championships?' And we said at the time, 'Yes, that is our intention.'' Athletics Canada commissioned Dynacare to conduct SRY gene tests, which help to determine biological sex, at the recent national championships only to later tell athletes the test kits provided were not the 'required standard'. — Unsplash pic When pressed for details about the test at the March press conference, World Athletics President Sebastian Coe said: 'The process is very straightforward, frankly very clear and it's an important one. And we will look for a testing provider, we will work on the timelines.' World Athletics then announced details of the SRY test on July 31. 'It's really important in a sport that's permanently trying to attract more women that they enter a sport believing there is no biological glass ceiling,' Coe said in a statement at the time. 'The test to confirm biological sex is a very important step in ensuring this is the case.' Brock-Doyle said World Athletics was not worried that female athletes would miss the September 13-21 worlds in Tokyo due to a failure to secure a test by the deadline. Brock-Doyle, who estimated that 40-50 per cent of athletes have been tested, said those who have completed the test but are still awaiting the result past the deadline can compete in Japan. 'Not every single result may come through, because some countries it may take two, three weeks,' she added. An adverse result – and potentially that athlete's performance at the worlds – would be investigated afterwards. Brock-Doyle also disagreed with criticism that the genetic testing regulations were pushed through too quickly. 'Would it have been better if we'd had a little bit more time? Maybe,' she said. 'But the reason we've chosen the world championships is that it's probably around 80-plus percent of all our elite (female) athletes there.' — Reuters
