´Worse than giving birth´ – Luis Enrique notes tough nature of PSG win

Luis Enrique compared Paris Saint-Germain’s Champions League opener to childbirth as he admitted he did not enjoy watching their tense late win over Girona.

PSG secured victory after Girona’s goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga, who had thwarted numerous efforts from the French champions, made a calamitous error in the final minutes.

Nuno Mendes’ tame, low delivery into the box slipped through the goalkeeper’s grasp and into the back of the net, snatching PSG all three points in a 1-0 win on Wednesday.

Though winning in fortuitous circumstances, PSG have now only lost one of their 37 home games in the group stage of the Champions League (W29 D7) since the start of the 2012-13 campaign, and Luis Enrique acknowledged the tough nature of this victory.

“I think we were superior, but Girona played us in circles and made us dizzy,” Luis Enrique told Movistar Plus.

“At half-time, we said that if we didn’t press, we were going to suffer. We had to win, and it was very difficult.

“It was very difficult. I told [Girona manager] Michel that this was worse than giving birth, with all due respect.”

Under the new Champions League format, teams play eight matches against eight different opponents, with the top eight sides in the 36-team league automatically advancing to the last 16, and the next 16 playing a further knockout round.

20 – Teams with at least 20 shots attempted in the second half of a Champions League game these last five seasons:
Paris v Borussia on 7 May 2024 (22)
Paris v Girona tonight (20)
Habit. pic.twitter.com/Bov8Lbm5Pg

— OptaJean (@OptaJean) September 18, 2024

Luis Enrique observed that the format creates uncertainty about the significance of results.

“Winning a match or any title is difficult, but we don’t know the dimensions of this competition with this format,” he added.

“We are going to have to play matches against teams that have easier schedules than ours. How many points are we going to need? There are many unknowns that need to be cleared up.”

Despite the victory, PSG suffered a setback as striker Marco Asensio limped off just before half-time. However, Luis Enrique was confident in the strength of his squad.

“He felt a twinge. Marco had started the season well. This is professional football, and we have a very good squad.”

PSG will next play Reims away in Ligue 1 on Saturday.