Paris Saint-Germain have won the UEFA Super Cup for the first time in their history, snatching victory from the jaws of defeat against Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday night.
The traditional curtain raiser on the European season between the previous campaign’s Champions League and Europa League winners was played in Udine, Italy, just a month after PSG were involved in the FIFA Club World Cup final.
Luis Enrique named a strong side featuring most of the team that destroyed Inter in May to become France’s first continental champions. But Gianluigi Donnarumma was a notable absentee following the shock decision to part with the Italian goalkeeper.
For Thomas Frank, in his first official game as Tottenham manager following a summer switch from Brentford, it was almost the perfect way to start. PSG dominated the ball, but Spurs created more and led 2–0 going into the final stages, before succumbing to a late comback and 4–3 shootout defeat.
João Palhinha, making his Spurs debut, was inches away from breaking the deadlock shortly before half-time, seeing his improvised strike tipped onto the crossbar by new PSG stopper Lucas Chevalier. But Micky van de Ven reacted quicker than everyone to turn in the rebound.
Chevalier, under scrutiny because of the Donnarumma headlines, made a big mistake to allow Tottenham to double that lead not long into the second half. The French stopper got two hands on a header from Cristian Romero, the newly appointed Spurs captain, but could only push it into the net.
PSG finally stirred in the closing stages, but showed exactly why they are considered the best team in the world. Their prospects were still bleak even when substitute Lee Kang-in pulled one back with five minutes to play, firing into the bottom corner from the edge of the box. Minimal celebration ensued because they still needed another goal to force the shootout.
Deep into the six added minutes for stoppage time, a sharp attacking move down the right brought the equaliser. Ousmane Dembélé lashed the final ball across the face of goal, putting it on a plate for Gonçalo Ramos to bravely throw his head at to redirect into the back of the net.
Vitinha missed the target with a poor penalty early in the shootout, but was redeemed when Chevalier saved from Van de Ven to level things at 2–2 after three attempts each. Missing for Spurs, Mathys Tel then handed PSG the advantage that Lee gladly took. Pedro Porro kept Tottenham alive, but the damage was done and Nuno Mendes stepped up to win it for PSG.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as PSG Complete Dramatic Comeback to Win a First Ever UEFA Super Cup.
