Barcelona twice fought back in Paris, with Xavi Espart scoring on his Champions League debut and Lamine Yamal also finding the net. But goals from Désiré Doué, Lucas Hernández, Vitinha and Fabián Ruiz gave PSG the victory and ended Barcelona’s unbeaten start to the season.
“It was a fantastic game from both teams. PSG have shown they are a better team than us,” Flick said. “We have lost, but we have learned. Mistakes happen.”
The Barcelona coach pointed to fatigue and the team’s preparation after their previous match against Sevilla, although he refused to use that as an excuse. He said PSG’s quality in transition had proved particularly difficult to contain during the closing stages.
“In the last 15 minutes we weren’t fresh. That’s not an excuse. We have to look at what happened after Sevilla, because we didn’t have the best preparation. We need to analyse it and do things better in the future,” Flick said.
Despite the result, he singled out Espart for praise after the young defender scored and impressed on a demanding European night.
“He played a fantastic game. It’s incredible the level he is playing at,” Flick said. “He trained with us last season, did pre-season and showed a spectacular level. He has quality and demonstrated it against PSG.”
Flick also confirmed Barcelona would assess Dani Olmo after the midfielder suffered a painful knock. With the Clásico approaching, the coach said his team had to take the positives from the performance while improving its defensive organisation and composure in possession.
Luis Enrique, meanwhile, said the contest had been much closer than the scoreline might suggest. He praised PSG’s first-half pressing but acknowledged Barcelona had enjoyed a spell of control after the break.
“You don’t realise Barcelona’s level until you play against them,” he said. “It was a very even game. We were very good in the first half, controlling Barcelona and recovering the ball in their half.”
The PSG coach said his team had responded well when Barcelona threatened to take control, adapting their defensive approach before exploiting space on the counterattack.
He rejected the suggestion that the win proved PSG were a level above their rivals.
“That would be the first trap,” Luis Enrique said. “If we think we are the best or special, we will be making a mistake.”
The former Barcelona coach also praised the visitors’ individual quality, saying that containing players such as Yamal, Fermín López and Olmo required collective defensive support.
“I’m a Barça supporter, but I’m a professional, and I enjoy my team’s victories,” he added.