Luis Enrique criticizes amateur team’s pitch: “It’s good for rugby”
PSG got a scare but beat Espaly in the Coupe de France
After beating Lens (2-1), away from home, in the round of 32 of the French Cup, PSG had a theoretically easier task in the round of 16, where they faced Espaly, an amateur French football team.
Even so, the Ligue 1 team started just behind after three minutes and had to work hard to advance (4-2). The Portuguese were in the spotlight. Nuno Mendes assisted Barcola , in the 88th minute, and Gonçalo Ramos put an end to any doubts, through a penalty, in stoppage time (90+2′). João Neves was in the eleven as… left back.
After the match, Luis Enrique criticized the pitch at the Marcel-Michelin stadium, which usually hosts Clermont rugby matches.
«The stadium is very good for playing rugby, but for playing football, good football, it is practically impossible, with all due respect. The ball was always bouncing”, he said, in a conference, praising the Espaly team.
«Excellent level, they scored at the first opportunity, which complicated things. It’s difficult to play away, mainly due to the quality of the field, which can be harmful. But Espaly defended very well. It’s a difficult competition, even more so due to the absence of VAR. We are very pleased that this competition exists, where small clubs can play against the big ones. We play here with great pleasure, but the conditions should be better for everyone’s good,” he added.
PSG face Lens at the weekend in Ligue 1 , before hosting Manchester City in the Champions League . The Parisians are in 25th place, outside the play-off places .
