Barcelona’s perfect start ends as Paris Saint-Germain claim 4-2 win in Champions League

Hansi Flick accepted that Paris Saint-Germain deserved their 4-2 victory over Barcelona as the holders brought the Catalan club’s unbeaten start to the season to an end.

Barcelona had won their first 11 matches in all competitions, but Paris Saint-Germain prevailed in an entertaining Champions League league-phase contest at the Parc des Princes on Tuesday.

The visitors remained in contention until the latter stages of the second half, before the French side secured a valuable victory in the third round of the competition.

Flick made no attempt to find excuses for the defeat and acknowledged that Paris Saint-Germain had produced the stronger performance.

“It was a great match from both teams, but Paris Saint-Germain proved they were better than us,” the Barcelona manager said in comments reported by Spanish newspaper AS.

The German also highlighted the threat posed by Paris Saint-Germain’s attacking transitions, particularly as Barcelona tired towards the end of the game.

“Paris have great quality in transitions, and we were not in our best physical condition during the final 10 minutes,” Flick said.

“That is not an excuse, but we did not have the best preparation for this match.”

Flick said Barcelona would now need to assess the performance carefully, identify the mistakes that contributed to the loss and make improvements before their next fixtures.

The result comes just days before Barcelona face Real Madrid in what the club regards as one of the biggest matches of the season. The two teams meet in La Liga on Sunday.

Olmo injury to be assessed

Flick also provided a brief update on Dani Olmo, who was involved in a collision during the match and was left feeling pain.

However, the manager said it was too early to determine the extent of the problem.

“Olmo took a knock and felt pain. We have to wait,” Flick said.

He offered no further details on the seriousness of the injury or how long the player might be unavailable, with Barcelona awaiting a clearer assessment of his condition.

Praise for Chavi Espart

Despite the defeat, Flick singled out Chavi Espart for praise after the youngster was given the opportunity to play against one of Europe’s strongest teams.

The Barcelona manager was impressed by the contribution made by the young player and by the level he has shown whenever called upon.

“He played a great match, and it is amazing what he produces every time he plays,” Flick said.