Paris Saint-Germain’s coach, Luis Enrique, stood by his team following their 2-2 draw against Reims in Ligue 1 on Sunday. Despite this being their third consecutive domestic draw, the reigning champions managed to maintain a 10-point lead at the top of the table.
Kylian Mbappe was rested for the start of the match after his impressive performance in PSG’s midweek 2-1 victory over Real Sociedad in the Champions League, where he scored both goals to secure a 4-1 aggregate win.
Without Mbappe, PSG found themselves trailing as Marshall Munetsi capitalized on an error by Achraf Hakimi to put Reims ahead. However, PSG quickly responded, with a Yunis Abdelhamid own goal and a strike from Goncalo Ramos putting them in the lead. Oumar Diakite’s goal for Reims in the first half ensured the match ended in a draw.
With the disjointed performance and errors from PSG, which included six changes from their midweek Champions League fixture, Luis Enrique maintained a positive outlook regarding his team’s mentality and effort.
“I didn’t think the team was too relaxed at any point. I thought their mentality was just right,” said Luis Enrique. “I never like to gift goals, and the first goal was a big one, but otherwise, it was all positive. We pressed well, we were aggressive.”
Paris Saint-Germain’s objective remains to secure the league title as soon as possible and to compete in every competition, according to Luis Enrique.
Despite PSG’s disappointment in dropping points again, a 1-0 defeat for their nearest challengers, Brest, against Lens on Saturday, ensured PSG maintained a comfortable 10-point lead with only nine matches left in the season.
The match marked the fourth consecutive Ligue 1 game in which Mbappe either started on the bench or was substituted, following his announcement of intention to leave the club at the end of the season. Luis Enrique refrained from commenting on Mbappe’s situation until further statements are made by the involved parties.
PSG’s nearest competitor, Monaco, has the opportunity to close the gap on Brest to just one point with a win against Strasbourg later on Sunday.
Reported By AFP.
