Table of Contents
- French giants Paris Saint-Germain beat Tottenham Hotspur 4-3 on penalties to win the UEFA Super Cup final
- PSG have been the most dominant team in the football world in the past twelve months, winning five out of a possible six titles
On Wednesday, French giants Paris Saint-Germain beat Tottenham Hotspur 4-3 on penalties to win the UEFA Super Cup final. The Super Cup is a match played at the start of every season by the winner of the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League.
PSG won last season’s Champions League after thumping Inter Milan 5-0 in the final. On the other hand, Tottenham won the Europa League after a 1-0 victory over fellow English Premier League side Manchester United.
PSG have been the most dominant team in the football world in the past twelve months, winning five out of a possible six titles. The only trophy they lost was the FIFA Club World Cup, where they suffered a shocking 3-0 defeat in the hands of Chelsea.
PSG players celebrate winning the Super Cup. Photo/ SuperSport.
ALSO READ: Chelsea beat PSG to win the FIFA Club World Cup
The Parisians came into Wednesday’s final as the favorites considering their form this year. However, they were left stunned when Spurs took the lead towards the end of the first half and went 2-0 up shortly after the break. Micky van de Ven scored the opener in the 38th minute after pouncing on a rebound in the box.
Newly appointed Spurs captain Cristian Romero doubled the lead from a header after Pedro Porro sent a dangerous free-kick flying into the box. But late goals by Lee Kang-in (85) and Goncalo Ramos (90+3) rescued the evening for Luis Enrique’s side.
The match went straight to penalties after the end of regular time as UEFA Super Cup does not feature extra time. PSG’s Nuno Mendes scored the deciding penalty to win the trophy the French giants after van de Ven and Mathys Tel missed their chances for Spurs.
Speaking after the match, PSG manager Luis Enrique said it was a miracle his side beat Tottenham who had enough time to prepare for the game. The 2025 Champions League winners had only five training sessions before the Super Cup final.
“How crazy! That’s the word, crazy… I have to say I’m very happy. I don’t think we deserved to win, because the difference between a team like Tottenham, who have had a lot of training, and us, who have only had five training sessions… It’s so different, I think it’s a miracle… We’re happy, we’re champions!” He is quoted by Paris Saint-Germain website.
Why Donnarumma Missed The UEFA Super Cup Final
PSG came into the clash without one of the players who have played a key role in their success in the past few months, Gianluigi Donnarumma. The Italian goalkeeper is expected to part ways with PSG this summer after falling out with the club. He announced his exit on Tuesday via social media stating that “someone has decided that I can no longer be part of the group and contribute to the team’s success”.
Donnarumma wanted to extend his stay in Paris with only one year left before the expiry of his contract. However, he couldn’t reach an agreement with the club as his salary demands were so high.
Gianluigi Donnarumma is expected to leave PSG this summer. Photo/ France 24.
The 26-year-old, who is one of the top earners at the club pocketing an estimated €850,000 a month, refused to accept the new salary structure that was imposed by sporting director Luis Campos two years ago. The new structure offers a lower base salary with big incentives depending on individual and team performance during matches.
PSG already signed Donnarumma’s replacement, 23-year-old French goalie Lucas Chevalier who arrived from Lille on Saturday for €40 million plus an additional €15m in potential bonuses. Chevalier made his debut last night in the UEFA Super Cup final and already showed the football world what to expect from him after saving one of Spurs penalties during the shootout.
