Luis Enrique admits PSG 'struggles' after shock Monaco defeat

PSG lost their unbeaten Ligue 1 home record as Monaco produced an impressive performance, claiming a fourth consecutive league victory. Despite dominating possession for long periods, Enrique's side were punished for costly errors.

"We were very imprecise in several parts of the game," Enrique said after the match. "We saw some uncharacteristic mistakes. When you do that against a team on a roll, you pay the price."

The PSG coach pointed to the early moments of the match as a key turning point.

"We gave them a gift right from the start and there were too many inaccuracies in our play," he explained. "But I don't want to lose faith in this team. We have shown the mentality to keep fighting until the end. This is not the result we wanted, but we thrive on challenges."

Monaco had threatened early when Denis Zakaria headed over from close range after a cross by Caio Henrique. PSG almost responded immediately, but goalkeeper Philipp Kohn denied Achraf Hakimi with a crucial block.

The breakthrough came in the 27th minute after a costly mistake from Warren Zaire-Emery inside his own penalty area. Folarin Balogun intercepted and set up Maghnes Akliouche, who fired home via the post to give Monaco the lead.

PSG had 73 percent possession before the break but could not find an equaliser.

Monaco doubled their advantage 10 minutes into the second half when substitute Aleksandr Golovin reacted quickly to a deflection and finished calmly into the bottom corner. The Russian midfielder almost scored again moments later, but Matvey Safonov produced an excellent save.

PSG briefly revived hope when Bradley Barcola scored with a deflected effort with just under 20 minutes remaining. However, Monaco quickly restored their two-goal cushion when Balogun struck brilliantly from more than 20 yards to seal the win.

Late pressure nearly produced a fourth Monaco goal when Simon Adingra hit the crossbar.

The defeat left PSG four points clear at the top of Ligue 1, although rivals could reduce that gap. Monaco's victory lifted them into fifth place and strengthened their push for qualification for next season's UEFA Champions League.

Enrique insisted his team must respond quickly, especially with a major European test approaching.

"We are clearly struggling right now," he said. "But we must keep believing and work to turn things around."

PSG's focus now shifts to a crucial UEFA Champions League clash against Chelsea on Wednesday, where Enrique will demand a much sharper performance from his side.

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