Two and a half months after winning its first ever Champions League title, Paris Saint-Germain returned to European competition to take on Tottenham, winners of the Europa League, in the European Super Cup. It was at the Stadio Friuli in Udine, Italy, that the two teams would battle it out for European supremacy. For this first match of the season, Luis Enrique fielded a central defensive pairing of captain Marquinhos and Willian Pacho, in front of new signing Lucas Chevalier in goal. Achraf Hakimi and Nuno Mendes started at full-back, while Vitinha took his place as the holding midfielder, flanked by Warren Zaïre-Emery and Désiré Doué. In attack, Ousmane Dembélé started down the middle, supported by Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Bradley Barcola.
From the very start of the match, Spurs took advantage of their fitness levels to try to put pressure on the Parisian defence. However, there was no cause for concern for the capital club, who gradually took control of the ball after weathering the storm early on. The first flash of brilliance from the Rouge et Bleu came from Bradley Barcola, who, from the left wing, beat two opponents and started a team move that Khvicha Kvaratskhelia was unable to finish (8'). But Tottenham were able to rely on the speed of their attack during transitions, and Richarlison, well set up by Mohammed Kudus, forced Lucas Chevalier into his first save in a Parisian shirt (23').
It didn't take long for Luis Enrique's men to respond with a quick transition of their own and a superb pass in behind from Ousmane Dembélé, but Bradley Barcola was unable to capitalise on his well-timed run (29'). Moments later, the Parisian No. 10 had a chance to score, but he couldn't control the trajectory of his shot (36'). From one goal to the other, it was the Londoners' turn to shine through Palhinha, who forced Lucas Chevalier into a reflex save from close range. The ball was initially deflected onto the crossbar, but then fell back to Micky Van de Ven, who only had to tap it into the empty net (0-1, 39').
A confident Spurs side had no intention of slowing down. Straight after the break, the English team took advantage of another set piece to score a second goal through Cristian Romero, whose header found the far post (0-2, 48'). The task now seemed almost impossible for the Rouge et Bleu, who were clearly lacking in physical freshness. As the minutes ticked by, the game became increasingly disjointed with lots of stops in play, which obviously suited Tottenham. Within a few minutes, yellow cards were being handed out and Paris couldn't find a way to trouble Guglielmo Vicario. Although Bradley Barcola thought he had given his side hope by reducing the deficit, the Parisian winger's goal was immediately ruled out for offside (66').
After Fabian Ruiz, Ibrahim Mbaye and Lee Kang-In, Gonçalo Ramos entered the pitch for the last quarter of an hour of play. The objective: to bring new blood to the Parisian side and vary the profiles in an attempt to unsettle a well-organised London defence. Through sheer perseverance, Luis Enrique's men managed to find the back of the net thanks to Lee Kang-In's left foot, which found the opposite corner from the edge of the box (1-2, 85'). Exhausted, the Parisians gave hope to the fans with what was a crazy final few minutes. The capital club's supporters rallied behind their team until the very last minute, when Ousmane Dembélé's cross from the right found Gonçalo Ramos's head to send Paris to penalties (2-2, 90+4)!
The Portuguese centre-forward showed his composure when taking his penalty, as did Ousmane Dembélé and Lee Kang-In. Meanwhile, Lucas Chevalier was decisive in saving Micky van de Ven's attempt. After a nail-biting finale, it was Nuno Mendes who stepped up and beat Vicario to give Paris Saint-Germain their first European Super Cup title in history! Tonight, once again, PARIS EST MAGIQUE!
