Paris Saint-Germain Add the UEFA Super Cup to Their Collection

Paris Saint-Germain lifted the UEFA Super Cup after overturning a 0-2 deficit against English side Tottenham Hotspur to draw 2-2 in regular time before sealing the victory 4-3 on penalties.

PSG became the first French team to win this competition, despite enduring a difficult contest in Udine, Italy.

Notably, the Parisian side started with their new goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier, signed from Lille last week, in place of Italian Gianluigi Donnarumma, who was left out of the squad after failing to reach an agreement on a contract extension. Donnarumma now appears likely to leave before the summer transfer window closes at the start of next month.

Portuguese midfielder João Neves was also absent through suspension, while Spanish coach Luis Enrique opted to deploy winger Désiré Doué on the left side of midfield instead of Spain’s Fabián Ruiz. In attack, Ousmane Dembélé led the line as a central striker, flanked by Bradley Barcola and Georgian Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.

For their part, Tottenham were without attacking midfielder James Maddison, sidelined with a serious knee injury that will keep him out for most of next season. New signings João Palhinha, arriving from Bayern Munich, and Ghanaian Mohammed Kudus, signed from West Ham United, both started under new Danish head coach Thomas Frank, who replaced Australian Ange Postecoglou at the end of last season despite the latter guiding the team to the UEFA Europa League title.

Match Highlights

PSG struggled somewhat to find their rhythm, having not played any warm-up matches beforehand due to their participation in the FIFA Club World Cup, where they reached the final before losing 0-3 to Chelsea in mid-July. Tottenham, by contrast, began preparations for the new domestic season early, playing several high-profile friendlies, including a 1-0 win over local rivals Arsenal, before suffering a heavy 0-4 defeat to Bayern Munich.

After an early chance for Tottenham through Brazilian striker Richarlison, saved by Chevalier, Spurs made their second opportunity count in the 39th minute. Goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario launched the ball into the box, where it reached Palhinha. His shot was parried by Chevalier, bounced off the crossbar, and fell perfectly for Dutch defender Micky van de Ven to fire home.

Tottenham doubled their lead in the 48th minute when their new captain, Argentine centre-back Cristian Romero, headed in from close range after Chevalier misjudged the flight of the ball.

Barcola had a goal ruled out in the 66th minute for an offside against Fabián Ruiz in the build-up, but substitute Kang-in Lee pulled one back for PSG in the 85th minute with a left-footed strike from the edge of the area that found the bottom corner.

In the fourth minute of stoppage time, another substitute, Gonçalo Ramos, rose to meet a Dembélé cross and headed in the equaliser, forcing a penalty shootout.

In the shootout, PSG’s Chevalier saved van de Ven’s effort, while Spurs’ French forward Mathys Tel fired wide. The only miss for PSG came from Vitinha, who saw his team’s first attempt denied. Portuguese left-back Nuno Mendes stepped up to score the decisive penalty, sealing a 4-3 victory for the Parisians.