Paris Saint-Germain beat Espaly (N3) 4-2 in Clermont-Ferrand on Wednesday in the round of 16 of the Coupe de France, securing their qualification with some difficulty. After the match at the Marcel-Michelin stadium, Luis Enrique criticized the quality of the pitch, which he considered unsuitable for playing football.
The Ligue 1 leaders have struggled to establish dominance over fifth division side Espaly. Although they managed to qualify for the quarter-finals of the Coupe de France (4-2), they were put under pressure by their opponents.
After quickly falling behind from the 3rd minute on a goal from Kevis Gjeçi, the Parisians finally reversed the situation at the end of the match, thanks to a goal from Bradley Barcola in the 88th minute and a penalty from Gonçalo Ramos at 90+2 minute. Paris first took the lead with a goal from Désiré Doué in the 67th minute, but Espaly equalized through Maxence Fournel in the 71st minute.
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After the match, Luis Enrique praised Espaly’s performance while reiterating his concerns about the pitch at the Marcel-Michelin, which traditionally hosts rugby matches for Clermont. “The stadium is ideal for playing rugby, but for playing football, real football, it is practically impossible, with all due respect,” said the PSG coach. “The ball was constantly bouncing.”
The coach also praised Espaly’s “elegance”, noting that they played very cleanly in his opinion. “They showed an excellent level, scoring at their first opportunity, which made it difficult for us,” added Luis Enrique. “It’s difficult to play away, especially with the quality of the pitch which can hamper performances. But Espaly defended very well… It’s a difficult competition, made even more complicated by the absence of VAR .A refereeing error cannot be rectified.”
No injuries have been reported for Paris ahead of their upcoming Champions League clash against Manchester City next week. “I don’t take this as an excuse because we have to be able to play everywhere,” said Luis Enrique, returning again to the problem of the pitch. “We are delighted that this competition exists, allowing small clubs to compete against the big ones. We came here with a lot of pleasure, but the conditions should ideally be better for the good of all. I can assure you that the pitch will not was not in good condition to play football.”
