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Paris St Germain coach Luis Enrique.
Paris St Germain showed why they are the reigning champions of Europe, coach Luis Enrique said, after his side completed a commanding 4-0 aggregate victory over Liverpool on Tuesday to reach the Champions League semi-finals.
PSG were pushed for spells at Anfield, particularly in the second half, but Ousmane Dembele struck twice after the break as Luis Enrique’s men won 2-0 to again demonstrate the belief and resilience that are hallmarks of their European campaign.
Luis Enrique said defending the trophy remained one of football’s toughest challenges, but that his team had earned the right to compete among Europe’s elite once more.
“It’s difficult to defend the Champions League, we know that,” he said. “But we’re here again and we need to make the most of these opportunities.”
Asked whether PSG carry an “aura” as holders, Luis Enrique pointed instead to the confidence and belief within the squad.
“I don’t know, it’s difficult to judge that,” he said. “But it’s a real pleasure for me to know my team is at that level and can play at that level no matter who they’re playing against.
“You can see what sort of team we are, we’ve got a lot of belief and a lot of confidence, and the supporters express that belief as well.”
Luis Enrique said Liverpool’s need to chase the tie after trailing 2-0 from the first leg played into PSG’s hands, even if it took time to fully capitalise.
“They had to take a lot of risks and that meant we could load the counter-attack and kill the match off,” he said.
“It took us longer to do that than I would have liked, but as soon as we scored the first goal, that changed things. I think we managed the match very well.”
PSG will face either Real Madrid or Bayern Munich, who meet on Wednesday with the Germans leading 2-1, in the semi-finals.
Asked if he had a preference, Luis Enrique said: “If I say one team, we’ll end up playing the other team. I’ll have a glass in my hand, I’ll be watching the game between Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, but it doesn’t matter, we deserve to be there and we’re going to make the most of it with our supporters.”
