Luis Enrique defends Lens after historic 1-9 defeat to Como: "It's an accident"

Luis Enrique defended RC Lens on Friday, the day after the heaviest defeat in French club history in the Ligue des Champions: a 1-9 thrashing inflicted by Como at Bollaert.

Questioned in a press conference about the two lopsided results of the European week — PSG’s 6-0 win over Villarreal on Wednesday and Lens’s collapse the following day — the Paris coach refused to see them as a reflection of a true gap in level. “It’s an accident, it can happen to any team. These are things in football that you can’t explain, but it’s not the norm,” he said.

On his own players’ crushing victory, Luis Enrique struck a similar tone, emphasizing the exceptional nature of the evening. “When a team scores four goals in eight minutes, the match is over. For us, it’s almost strange and it’s difficult to play, I don’t like this type of match. There isn’t that gap between the two teams,” he clarified.

The Spanish coach also paid tribute to Como while tempering the significance of the result for Lens. “I watched that match and took the opportunity to see Como play. They played fantastically. But that’s not the gap between the two teams. In that match, Como were extra-performant and Lens struggled, but they’re not a bad team.”

With ten consecutive victories across all competitions, PSG heads into this weekend in a strong position. Luis Enrique’s side will travel to Como on January 20 for the seventh matchday of the Ligue des Champions league phase, a trip that takes on particular resonance after the Italian side’s demonstration against Lens.