What a match! The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup lived up to every bit of the anticipation. After a thrilling 90 minutes, Chelsea came out on top as the London club subdued the mighty PSG by three goals. However, while the action on the pitch was mesmerizing, it was Luis Enrique‘s post-game antics that stirred up the pot even more.

The Paris Saint-Germain coach got embroiled in a heated exchange with Chelsea’s Joao Pedro after the Premier League team romped over their French peers. Pedro, amidst the CWC victory celebrations, fell down on the ground following the altercation with Enrique after the latter’s hand caught the Brazilian in the face. Uproar from the soccer community ensued, but the Spanish coach claims his intentions weren’t to take out his frustration on the young forward.

In an X post from July 13 by Yale Football, Luis Enrique’s comments on what went down after the PSG vs Chelsea match were shared. Talking to reporters at the post-game presser, the coach urged not to take things at face value, as he claimed that his actions were misinterpreted by the media and the soccer community. In his statements, the PSG boss also subtly indicated that it was actually his Chelsea counterpart who instigated the former to nosedive into the chaos.

“I saw Maresca. I’ve seen him push other people and we’ve had to separate all the players…My intention was clear. I ran to separate the players,” Enrique sought to put an end to the controversy, underscoring that he only wanted to put an end to the skirmish, which Maresca was fueling in his eyes. Further noting that he didn’t want the situation to escalate further, Luis stated, “…it’s a situation we all need to avoid.”

However, we doubt that the fans will be so easily convinced. Seeing João Pedro on the ground, the soccer community didn’t take much time to sneer at Enrique’s inability to control his rage. Some even went to the extent of calling the coach a “sore loser” for his brush against Chelsea’s Brazilian star. But Enrique believes that, of all people, he shouldn’t be someone who needs a lesson about winning.

“I’m not a loser. I’m a runner-up. There are no losers in top-level football. A loser is someone who doesn’t wake up from his bed,” said the ex-Barcelona coach in the post-match presser, making it clear that he sees the loss at the Club World Cup as a learning moment in his coaching career and that he would definitely make his way out of the setback. However, first, he needs to go over why his squad failed to exert its dominance over the British club despite being the reigning UEFA Champions League winners.

Luis Enrique’s PSG looked like fish out of water

PSG came into the CWC with raging momentum. Winning the Ligue 1 and the Champions League trophy in the same season, the Parisian club looked at the top of its game. To boost their confidence further, Enrique’s team had a near-flawless run at the CWC, beating the likes of Bayern Munich and Real Madrid, while conceding just one goal, until, of course, the final arrived.

Ever since Todd Boehly took over Chelsea in 2022 after previous owner Roman Abramovich had to cede his ownership of the club following sanctions, the Blues’ rough patch looked endless. Under the new leadership, the 6x Premier League winners failed to maintain their reputation even in the domestic scene. However, with Enzo Maresca’s appointment as the head coach, things finally started to look brighter. New faces were introduced into the roster, and camaraderie among the players looked stronger than in years. All of that culminated at the MetLife Stadium on Sunday.

The first half of the CWC Final was all Chelsea, who mounted relentless attacks, while PSG chose to sit back, seemingly hoping for a lucky break on the counter-attack. That, of course, wasn’t the right approach. The first goal came in the 22nd minute after Nuno Mendes gave the ball cheaply away to Malo Gusto, who, after being blocked on his own attempt on goal, laid the ball out for Palmer on the rebound, with the Chelsea number 10 making no mistake. Eight minutes later, Palmer was at it again, receiving an intelligent through ball from Levi Colwill, before cutting inside and finding the bottom left corner. Finally, just before the halftime whistle, João Pedro extended the lead with a brilliant finish as he chipped Palmer’s pass into the penalty box over Gianluigi Donnarumma. Pedro was only recently signed by Chelsea to add depth to its attacking prowess, and it looks like returns to the $82 million investment are already coming in.

Other than an early first-half chance that presented itself to Desire Doue and a close-range effort from Ousmane Dembele in the 52nd minute, PSG never looked like they could come back. And as if things weren’t bad enough, Joao Neves was sent off for pulling Marc Cucurella’s hair in the 84th minute.

Obviously, as the reigning Champions League winners, losing to a team that hasn’t been up to the mark for so long wasn’t an easy pill to swallow. But then again, maybe it was the way the players were introduced onto the pitch that inspired the inner fighter (literally!) in Luis Enrique. What do you think was going on inside the coach’s mind when he clashed with Pedro? Tell us!