What Defines PSG? Luis Enrique Speaks Out After Early Stumbles

It looked as though the serial Ligue 1 champions and two-time reigning Champions League winners were headed for a loss. Similar to their opening-round match at Stade Rennes, the Parisians had to play catch-up. Lille took the lead through Icelandic forward Hakon Arnar Haraldsson, who scored in the 21st minute. The game seemed decided in the 84th minute after a goal from substitute Dilane Bakwa, but the favorites managed to rally in stoppage time.

In the opening seconds of added time, Vitinha reduced the deficit to 1-2, and the same player then assisted Marquinhos' equalizer. The Brazilian center-back left coach David Ancelotti, who was part of his father Carlo's coaching staff for the Brazilian national team at the 2026 World Cup, dismayed. "It's never over against PSG."

"The positive is our mentality and our ability to get back into the game and fight for a result even from a losing position. That's a good sign for the rest of the season and says a lot about us," the 32-year-old Brazilian was quoted by AFP. All of this unfolded right before the eyes of Carlo Ancelotti, who didn't miss the intriguing confrontation.

The home side felt aggrieved by the end of the match. Referee Eric Wattelier officially added three minutes of stoppage time, but the equalizer came in the fifth minute of added time.

"He said we lost a minute on their goal. But we won't go into details; we know the consequences. However, we are very disappointed, and I think we deserved more tonight. I thought the game should have ended a bit earlier.

The referee decided that extra time needed to be added, so we had to stay focused until the end," said Lille's Algerian midfielder Nabil Bentaleb, according to L'Équipe. The club's incensed president, Olivier Letang, reportedly walked through the mixed zone, calling the end of the match a scandal.

The Parisians had to do without Ousmane Dembele, who was given time off by coach Enrique after the opening round. Portuguese midfielder Joao Neves was absent due to health issues, and his compatriot Nuno Mendes was serving a suspension after a red card. The best European team of the previous two seasons has won only one of their four competitive matches this new season.

After triumphing in the UEFA Super Cup against English side Aston Villa, the most successful French club lost in the domestic Super Cup against Racing Lens. They started the league season with two dropped points.

"Perhaps you think two points from two games isn't much. However, when you consider the results we achieved last year in Rennes and Lille, we actually gained one more point from these two matches. We try to stay positive; it's clear we need to improve and perform at a higher level. But I think today the team showed its ability to fight until the last minute," Enrique said, according to goal.com.

The 56-year-old Spanish coach emphasized that his team's never-say-die attitude until the final whistle has become its fundamental characteristic over the past three years: "It's a hallmark of this team. When everyone thinks we're lost, we have the ability to turn the game around. I think we deserved more today, but that's football."