Less than seven months after winning its first Champions League in Munich and then its first European Super Cup in Udine, Paris Saint-Germain had another date with destiny, this time at the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium in Al Rayyan, for its first ever Intercontinental Cup final. Facing Brazilian side Flamengo, Les Rouge et Bleu quickly took control of the game, while the reigning Copa Libertadores champions sought to play as a compact midfield unit.
Following a poor clearance, Fabian Ruiz thought he had opened the scoring, but his goal was disallowed as the ball had previously gone out of play (9'). Nuno Mendes then failed to hit the target (12'), while João Neves saw his attempt blocked (30'). It was finally from the right wing that Paris made the breakthrough, with Désiré Doué receiving a good pass from Senny Mayulu, then sending in a strong cross to Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, who took advantage of a mistake by the opposing goalkeeper to give the capital club the lead (1-0, 38')!
After the break, we could have expected the Brazilian club to stage a comeback, but this was not the case: Paris remained in control and had the first chance of the half through João Neves, who tested Agustín Rossi with a left-footed shot (51'). However, with their first touch of the ball in the Parisian box in the second half, the Brazilians were awarded an unexpected penalty, which was converted by Jorginho (1-1, 62'). Paris had fallen into the South Americans' trap and struggled to get out of it.
Flamengo then looked to breakdown the tempo while dropping back, leaving the Parisians with no solution against a low, disciplined block. With patience, the capital club finally broke into the opposition's box, but João Neves' shot from a ball played back to him, was blocked by the Brazilian defence (73'). As the minutes ticked by, Paris's control faded and Flamengo, on the lookout for the slightest opportunity, grew in confidence.
Stalemate after 90 minutes, the two teams went into extra time with Neither Quentin Ndjantou (107'), Ousmane Dembélé (115' and 116'), nor Bradley Barcola (117th) managing to break the deadlock. It was then up to Matvey Safonov, who put in a masterful performance in the penalty shootout with no fewer than four saves, to hand the Rouge et Bleu the trophy on a plate!
At the end of a nail-biting finish, Paris Saint-Germain were rewarded for their dominance, winning the Intercontinental Cup for the first time in their history! It's another date to be etched into the history books of the capital club, and a sixth trophy lifted in 2025: PARIS IS MAGICAL!
