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Luis Enrique described Bayern Munich as "the best team in Europe" after his Paris Saint-Germain side was beaten by the Bundesliga giant.
PSG was trailing 2-0 after 32 minutes, and eventually lost 2-1, despite playing the entire second half with a player more than Bayern following Luis Diaz's sending off in first-half injury time. Enrique admitted that Bayern was the better team at the Parc des Princes. "At 11 against 11, Bayern were stronger [than us], without a doubt. You play against the best team in Europe, with the best results, and they pressed us at a high level."
Enrique's side knocked out Premier League sides Liverpool, Aston Villa and Arsenal on its way to winning the Champions League last term, but Enrique currently ranks Bayern above all of those teams.
Bayern has won all 16 of the games it has played in all competitions since the start of the season, with former Liverpool star Diaz playing a key role for his club.
Diaz scored both of Bayern's goals against PSG to take his goal tally for the season to 10, but he was shown a straight red card for a challenge on PSG full-back Achraf Hakimi.
“He (Díaz) said he didn’t go in extra trying to hurt the opponent. He tried to win the ball,” Bayern boss Vincent Kompany said after the game. “It’s a shame for Hakimi. It happened right in front of my eyes. The most important thing is that he recovers quickly.”
Former Bayern midfielder Toni Kroos defended Diaz on a podcast after the game, saying that the red card was not warranted.
"For me, it’s clear — Luis Diaz’s foul on Hakimi was not a red card," Kroos said. “The referee let Hakimi’s injury have too much of an influence on his assessment of the play. I saw a brutal challenge, but not a brutal foul.
“If Hakimi had gotten up after the challenge, nobody would have reviewed the play. In situations like these, the referee should judge the action itself, not the consequence."
Hakimi will be sidelined for several weeks with a severely sprained ankle that puts his participation in the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations in doubt.
PSG boss Enrique described the injury as "bad luck", adding: "That's football, it's a contact sport."
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