Club World Cup final scuffle 'should have been avoided' says Luis Enrique
"There was pushing and shoving, a lot of tension and pressure. The situation obviously should have been avoided," Luis Enrique told reporters.
"My intention was clearly to just try to separate the players."
He admitted that Chelsea were deserved winners as he urged his team to enjoy a short summer break at the end of a remarkable campaign.
Defeat for PSG denied them what would have been a stunning clean sweep of trophies as they failed to add the Club World Cup to the UEFA Champions League and French league and cup double they claimed in May.
"I think over the course of the game they deserved their win. They played very well," Luis Enrique said.
"I said beforehand that Chelsea were a very good team and they deserve their victory and the trophy."
A historic season for PSG ends after 11 months and 65 matches, and they now have exactly one month before returning to action in August -- there will be another trophy on the line in their next game, against Tottenham Hotspur in the UEFA Super Cup.
"I think is important for us to enjoy our holidays. They will be very short. But we need to make the most of them," he said.
PSG's victory in this year's Champions League also means they will have another crack at winning the Club World Cup when they participate in the next edition, which is due to take place in 2029.
"I think this tournament was born out of the need to know who the best team in the world is. I think it is an interesting format and I think it could become a real top-level competition," said the Spaniard.
"There is just the difficulty of finding space for it in the current calendar, but I think it is an interesting tournament -- we had the chance to win it but there was another team who were better than us in the final."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
France 24
an hour ago
- France 24
Chelsea beats PSG 3-0 for Club World Cup title as Palmer scores twice
01:29 12/07/2025 Chelsea to take on irresistible Paris Saint-Germain in Club World Cup final Sport 05/07/2025 Title contenders Pogacar, Vingegaard eye Yellow Jersey France 05/07/2025 Riders gear up for Tour de France 2025 opener in Lille France 04/07/2025 A truly 'wonderful, loving' soul: Diogo Jota's 'immense' impact on Liverpool remembered Europe 09/06/2025 French Open: Two in a row for Alcaraz after thrilling final France 08/06/2025 No escape from Alcaraz: Spanish tennisman topples Sinner to win historic French Open final thriller Sport 07/06/2025 French Open: Sabalenka faces Gauff in women's final Sport 04/06/2025 Aryna Sabalenka criticizes sexist scheduling of French Open women's matches Sport 01/06/2025 Macron hosts European Champions PSG at Elysée Palace and delivers speech Europe
LeMonde
3 hours ago
- LeMonde
PSG falls short in Club World Cup final after an 'exceptional' season
Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) ultimately stumbled at the final hurdle. Although considered the favorite, the French capital's club lost to Chelsea (3-0) in the FIFA Club World Cup final on Sunday, July 13, at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. This defeat prevented PSG from capturing the coveted fifth trophy and expanding their dominance to the global stage, after already making history with their quadruple (UEFA Champions League, Ligue 1, Coupe de France and Trophée des Champions). The European champions were unrecognizable as they collapsed against a formidable London side. The London team dominated from the outset and led 3-0 at halftime. Cole Palmer scored twice (in the 22 nd and 30 th minutes) and assisted João Pedro (in the 43 rd minute) on a goal. Palmer capitalized on rare lapses in the PSG's defense. It was a match to forget for PSG, especially PSG's head coach Luis Enrique, who clashed with Pedro after the final whistle amid post-match tensions on the pitch. Against Chelsea, the Parisians looked tired after a seemingly endless season, in which they played 65 matches, including 17 in the Champions League. On Sunday night, the contrast was stark between PSG's lack of freshness and the energy the Blues expended to press the Parisian players and prevent them from building their play. It was as if Chelsea had turned PSG's own game against them, suffocating them with relentless activity, a tactic PSG had so often used themselves.
Euronews
3 hours ago
- Euronews
Trump puzzles Chelsea FC as he crashes Club World Cup trophy party
Chelsea FC put in a spectacular performance to beat Paris Saint-Germain 3-0 in the final of the new Club World Cup on Sunday, but the subsequent award ceremony was suddenly attended by an unexpected guest: US President Donald Trump. Cole Palmer was visibly elated as he bounced behind Reece James, the Chelsea captain, who was receiving the Club World Cup trophy — when they were flanked unexpectedly by US President Donald Trump, who stood between Palmer and goalkeeper Robert Sánchez. "I knew he was going to be here, but I didn't know he was going to be on the stand when we lifted the trophy, so I was a bit confused," Palmer told reporters. James was equally confused by the US president's apparent desire to join in on the celebrations. "They told me that he was going to present the trophy and then exit the stage, and I thought that he was going to exit the stage, but he wanted to stay," James told domestic media. "He just congratulated me and the team for lifting the trophy and told us to enjoy the moment." Trump, wearing a bright red tie, appeared to leave the podium with a medal himself, presented by FIFA President Gianni Infantino shortly after Reece James was honoured. Palmer lauded as 'scary good' Palmer, 23, was awarded the Golden Ball as the tournament's best player after netting the opening two goals in Chelsea's triumph. The English midfielder has been thrust into the spotlight recently. Over the weekend, he was photographed in front of a giant Nike billboard in Times Square, emblazoned with his image and the slogan: 'Scary good' — part of a campaign also featuring Kylian Mbappé, Erling Haaland and Vinícius Júnior. 'I've seen the billboards in Times Square and outside of Madison Square Garden,' Palmer said. 'It's a nice feeling to be obviously alongside them type of players.' Palmer's first-half brace featured two nearly identical left-footed finishes from just inside the penalty area in the 22nd and 30th minutes. He also set up João Pedro for Chelsea's third goal in the 43rd minute with a precise through ball, which was deftly chipped over Gianluigi Donnarumma. Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca said his side seized control early. 'I think we won the game in the first 10 minutes,' he said. 'The message before the game was: let them understand that we are here to win.' Palmer's first goal came after a long kick from Sánchez was misjudged by PSG's Nuno Mendes, whose header backwards allowed the ball to fall to Malo Gusto. Gusto's shot was blocked and rebounded to Palmer, ending PSG's run of 436 minutes without conceding. 'These are the games where we expect Cole to appear because they are big games, big moments,' Maresca added. Palmer's second came after latching onto Levi Colwill's long pass, cutting inside and finishing clinically for his 18th goal of the season. 'It's a great feeling,' Palmer said. 'Even better because obviously everyone doubted us before the game. The gaffer put a great gameplan out, and obviously, he knew where the space was going to be.'
