Laurent Blanc admitted Paris Saint-Germain's fitness levels cost them victory in their Champions League opener with Ajax.
Blanc saw his team take an early lead through Edinson Cavani's 14th-minute goal in an impressive opening to the Group F match in the Dutch capital.
However, PSG visibly ran out of steam the longer the match went on, and were pegged back 16 minutes from time by a free kick from Lasse Schone, who also hit a post in the closing stages.
"I've rarely seen my players like that at the end of a match, that tired," Blanc said. "Physically, Ajax were superior to us. And in midfield, we didn't have possession, which is rare because it's our trademark. It shows that Paris is not in its best shape."
There would likely have been no way back for Ajax, however, had Lucas Moura taken a gilt-edged opportunity early in the second half. The Brazil international was halted by home goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen, but as he had earlier teed up Cavani's goal, Blanc refused to blame the former Sao Paulo man.
"I congratulated him on his performance because he pushed himself to the limit, just like his teammates," Blanc said. "He might have been the man-of-the-match. He missed the chance to make it 2-0 in the 47th minute after helping make it 1-0, but you mustn't bury him. You have to encourage him. He got some chances. Next time, he has to put them away."
The match marked PSG's fourth successive competitive away trip to end in a draw this season. The result puts extra pressure on the French champions when they host Barcelona, who won their opening game at home to APOEL, on Sept. 30.
PSG's ex-Ajax forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic is now determined to claim a result against Barca, another of his former clubs.
"We have to wake up and now take points against Barcelona," he said.
Ibrahimovic was honoured with a banner reading "Welcome back, Son of God" by the Ajax fans and the Swede said: "For me, it was special to play here. It was a great evening.
"I saw it [the banner], yes. And you were wondering if it was for me, Maxwell or [Gergory] van der Wiel? No, of course it was for me."
