German coach Hansi Flick admitted that Barcelona needs to improve its defense after conceding a late goal that gave visiting French champions Paris Saint-Germain a 2-1 victory on Wednesday in the second round of the UEFA Champions League.

The French champions’ goal came in the 90th minute by Portuguese player Gonçalo Ramos, after Barcelona had taken the lead at the Olympic Stadium.

Moroccan Achraf Hakimi exploited a mistake in Barcelona’s high defensive line, sprinting down the right flank before delivering a low cross that Ramos finished into the net. Flick acknowledged that PSG played at a higher level.

The Catalan team had been eliminated in the semifinals of last season’s competition by Italian club Inter Milan, where their defensive weaknesses were clearly exposed, conceding seven goals in two matches.

Flick told reporters, “When the score is 1-1, we need to defend better and have stronger defensive organization.”

He added, “We will learn from this and must perform better next time against a team of this quality.”

The Barcelona coach said PSG deserved to win the match, noting that his team was not at its best and could not match the European champions that evening.

Flick continued, “There is no point in saying we are on the same level, but I believe in my team. This was not our best day.”

“We train to get better and better, and this match will benefit us a lot, even in the future. The whole team must defend, and the whole team must attack…”

He concluded, “The philosophy PSG has is wonderful. They have young players, high quality, and great speed with the ball. A very excellent team.”

Flick believes that when his team plays at its best, it will be able to match the team of Spaniard Luis Enrique.

The former Bayern Munich coach added, “We saw PSG’s level today, and I am 100 percent confident that we can play like that too.”

Always Present

Meanwhile, Enrique said, “Regardless of the names starting the match, we are always present,” expressing his happiness with the performance and result.

Enrique noted at his press conference at Montjuïc Stadium, “I am very happy because regardless of the players, we are always there.”

He added, “It doesn’t matter who wears the shirt; we play with a clear identity.”

The former Barcelona coach continued, “I must say we played a very good match. The start was very difficult; they controlled the ball, and as always against Barcelona, they have players with high quality. But when we scored, we gained confidence.”

About the second half, Enrique said, “We were the better side and deserved to win because we created many chances.”

PSG played the match despite many absences of key players such as Ousmane Dembélé, the world’s best player, Désiré Doué, Georgian Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Brazilian Marquinhos, and others.