Latest news with #SAINT-GERMAIN
The Sun
4 days ago
- Sport
- The Sun
PSG have achieved 'our ultimate goal', says Luis Enrique
PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN coach Luis Enrique said he and the club had achieved their 'ultimate goal' by winning the Champions League after the 5-0 thumping of Inter Milan. Since their Qatari takeover in 2011, PSG have won 11 of the past 13 French titles but the grand prize for which the club had spent big had always eluded them. On Saturday, PSG sliced Inter to pieces at the Allianz Arena to emphatically put that right. Luis Enrique, who won the Champions League at the helm of Barcelona in Berlin in 2015, said he had his sights set on the title ever since he took over in the French capital in 2023. 'On my first day at the PSG campus, my French was even worse than it is today. But I said the ultimate goal for me as a coach was to fill the trophy cabinet,' the Spaniard said. 'The only trophy missing was Champions League. And we've ticked that box. We were ambitious, and we did it. 'It's in the bag and it's coming home with us tomorrow.' The manager singled out forward Ousmane Dembele for special praise, calling him 'incredible' and saying 'he deserves to win the Ballon d'Or.' The coach paid tribute to his daughter Xana, who passed away from cancer in 2019 aged nine. After the full-time whistle, the French fans unfurled a banner depicting father and daughter planting a PSG flag into the ground, just as the two had done with a Barcelona flag in Berlin a decade earlier. 'It was emotional. It's beautiful that the supporters thought about me and my family. But I don't need to win the Champions League or even a game to think about my daughter,' Luis Enrique said. 'She's always with me. She's supporting me, and our family, and I feel her presence.'
The Sun
5 days ago
- Sport
- The Sun
PSG will handle pressure in Champions League final, says skipper Marquinhos
PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN captain Marquinhos is confident the French side will cope with the pressure in Saturday's Champions League final against Inter Milan and put years of disappointment in the competition behind them by finally winning the trophy. 'The club has learnt as time has gone on about how to deal with games like these, what it needs to do,' the Brazilian defender told reporters in Munich on the eve of the game. 'A lot of things have changed at PSG since I arrived. There have been great times, difficult times, but tomorrow (Saturday) we have a glorious opportunity to do something remarkable and historic for this club. 'It will be my second final and I don't want to let the opportunity pass us by.' PSG's second Champions League final comes five years after a narrow defeat at the hands of Bayern Munich behind closed doors in Lisbon during the pandemic. Marquinhos, who is the elder statesman in the current PSG side at 31, is one of only two players who featured in the 2020 final and are still at the club -- the other is fellow centre-back Presnel Kimpembe, now a peripheral figure. At PSG since 2013, Marquinhos has also been involved in some humiliating Champions League defeats, not least the infamous collapse against Barcelona in 2017, when they won 4-0 at home in the first leg only to lose 6-1 in the return. Luis Enrique was the Barcelona coach then, and is now on the PSG bench, in charge of a vibrant young side. 'We have a coach who is exceptional and has prepared us really well. Even if we are a very young team you can see how ready we are for these games,' Marquinhos added. 'I think there is a whole mix of things which have come together to bring us here in the best condition possible -- the club has grown, the incredible coach we have, the quality players who have come in. I think that is why we are here today.' PSG lost in the semis last season before seeing Kylian Mbappe depart for Real Madrid, but without him they have won a domestic league and cup double while also knocking out three Premier League teams -- Liverpool, Aston Villa and Arsenal -- to get to the final. ' Opportunity to make history' 'Now is the time to get the trophy and bring it home,' added Marquinhos. Alongside him was Ousmane Dembele, who has been converted this season from a winger into a lethal striker with 33 goals in all competitions. That has made him a candidate to win the Ballon d'Or. 'I am really proud to be here in the final. We have worked so hard,' said Dembele, who was sent off when PSG lost 1-0 to Bayern in Munich in the league phase in November. At that point there was a real danger PSG would be eliminated before the knockout stage, but the improvement since has been spectacular. 'It wasn't easy at the start of the campaign but we have changed the dynamic in the second half of the season and it is exceptional to be here in Munich for the final. We feel lots of joy even though we are going to take the game very seriously.' Coach Luis Enrique has the chance to win his second Champions League title, 10 years after getting his hands on the trophy with Barcelona. Then, as now, he came up against an Italian team in Germany, with Barca defeating Juventus in Berlin. 'Now I have 10 years more experience and I will just try to transmit to the players how great an opportunity it is for us to play a Champions League final,' said the Spaniard. 'We have the opportunity to make history, to do something nobody else has ever done for this club before, but at the same time we also have to manage our emotions so they don't become too much for us. 'I think we are prepared, Inter too no doubt, so I think it will be a really great final and of course the aim is to win it.'
The Sun
5 days ago
- Sport
- The Sun
Marquinhos: PSG Ready to Make History vs Inter Milan
PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN captain Marquinhos is confident the French side will cope with the pressure in Saturday's Champions League final against Inter Milan and put years of disappointment in the competition behind them by finally winning the trophy. 'The club has learnt as time has gone on about how to deal with games like these, what it needs to do,' the Brazilian defender told reporters in Munich on the eve of the game. 'A lot of things have changed at PSG since I arrived. There have been great times, difficult times, but tomorrow (Saturday) we have a glorious opportunity to do something remarkable and historic for this club. 'It will be my second final and I don't want to let the opportunity pass us by.' PSG's second Champions League final comes five years after a narrow defeat at the hands of Bayern Munich behind closed doors in Lisbon during the pandemic. Marquinhos, who is the elder statesman in the current PSG side at 31, is one of only two players who featured in the 2020 final and are still at the club -- the other is fellow centre-back Presnel Kimpembe, now a peripheral figure. At PSG since 2013, Marquinhos has also been involved in some humiliating Champions League defeats, not least the infamous collapse against Barcelona in 2017, when they won 4-0 at home in the first leg only to lose 6-1 in the return. Luis Enrique was the Barcelona coach then, and is now on the PSG bench, in charge of a vibrant young side. 'We have a coach who is exceptional and has prepared us really well. Even if we are a very young team you can see how ready we are for these games,' Marquinhos added. 'I think there is a whole mix of things which have come together to bring us here in the best condition possible -- the club has grown, the incredible coach we have, the quality players who have come in. I think that is why we are here today.' PSG lost in the semis last season before seeing Kylian Mbappe depart for Real Madrid, but without him they have won a domestic league and cup double while also knocking out three Premier League teams -- Liverpool, Aston Villa and Arsenal -- to get to the final. 'Opportunity to make history' 'Now is the time to get the trophy and bring it home,' added Marquinhos. Alongside him was Ousmane Dembele, who has been converted this season from a winger into a lethal striker with 33 goals in all competitions. That has made him a candidate to win the Ballon d'Or. 'I am really proud to be here in the final. We have worked so hard,' said Dembele, who was sent off when PSG lost 1-0 to Bayern in Munich in the league phase in November. At that point there was a real danger PSG would be eliminated before the knockout stage, but the improvement since has been spectacular. 'It wasn't easy at the start of the campaign but we have changed the dynamic in the second half of the season and it is exceptional to be here in Munich for the final. We feel lots of joy even though we are going to take the game very seriously.' Coach Luis Enrique has the chance to win his second Champions League title, 10 years after getting his hands on the trophy with Barcelona. Then, as now, he came up against an Italian team in Germany, with Barca defeating Juventus in Berlin. 'Now I have 10 years more experience and I will just try to transmit to the players how great an opportunity it is for us to play a Champions League final,' said the Spaniard. 'We have the opportunity to make history, to do something nobody else has ever done for this club before, but at the same time we also have to manage our emotions so they don't become too much for us. 'I think we are prepared, Inter too no doubt, so I think it will be a really great final and of course the aim is to win it.'
The 42
06-05-2025
- Sport
- The 42
PSG's star man Dembele fit to face Arsenal in Champions League semi
PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN FORWARD Ousmane Dembele Ousmane Dembele, who suffered a hamstring injury last week, has been passed fit to play in their Champions League semi-final second leg against Arsenal, coach Luis Enrique said on Tuesday. Dembele came off in the 70th minute of the first leg in London, after scoring the only goal of the game in the fourth minute, prompting the coach to suggest after the match that there was 'a doubt' over his chances of playing in Wednesday's return match. Advertisement He missed Saturday's Ligue 1 defeat against Strasbourg but resumed training at the start of the week. 'He's been training with us for the last two days,' said Luis Enrique. 'You saw him today, a normal training session for him. He'll be available tomorrow.' The France international has been PSG's star performer this season, scoring 33 goals in all competitions. South Korean midfielder Lee Kang-in also took part in the team training session following the knock he received in Strasbourg. – © AFP 2025
The Sun
29-04-2025
- Sport
- The Sun
PSG fans take over Trafalgar Square ahead of Arsenal clash as they march through London for Champions League semi-final
PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN fans took over Trafalgar Square ahead of their Champions League clash against Arsenal. French supporters marched through the streets of London before making their base at the famous central landmark. 10 10 10 10 10 Fans first set off flares and chanted songs as they brought the capital to a standstill. The large group banged on drums and clapped to their heart's content to create a brilliant atmosphere. Thousands then gathered at Trafalgar Square to soak up the sun and raise morale ahead of a tense night at the Emirates. PSG fans were praised by many football supporters on social media for their show of strength before facing Arsenal. One user said: 'Best supporters in the world.' Another declared: 'This is Paris.' One noted: 'Let's gooo.' Another added: 'You have one job tonight.' PSG have already dumped two English sides of Europe this season. They KO'd newly-crowned Premier League champions Liverpool in the last 16. How Arsenal can outsmart PSG in Champions League semi-final 10 10 10 10 10 And Luis Enrique's men then dismissed Aston Villa in the quarters. They also defeated Man City 4-2 in the group stages to make it a hat-trick of wins. But PSG did suffer one loss to an English side, with Arsenal beating them 2-0 in October. The Gunners are flying high after smashing Real Madrid 5-1 on aggregate in the quarters. Yet Thomas Partey's suspension has meant a reshuffle with Mikel Merino moving from attack into midfield.
