Europe in Paris's 'Grip' for the Second Time

French club Paris Saint-Germain, the UEFA Champions League winners, retained their title in the UEFA Super Cup by defeating English side Aston Villa 2-1 at the Red Bull Arena in Salzburg. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (20th minute) and Desire Doue (62nd minute) scored for Paris Saint-Germain, while young player Bryan Mbeumo netted Aston Villa’s goal in his debut appearance for the club (45th minute). The UEFA Super Cup pits the winners of the Champions League against the winners of the UEFA Europa League. Paris Saint-Germain beat English club Arsenal on penalties in the continent’s premier competition, while Aston Villa thrashed their German opponents, Freiburg, 3-0 in the Europa League final.

Paris Saint-Germain won the UEFA Super Cup last year for the first time in their history, defeating English club Tottenham Hotspur in a thrilling match decided by penalties. Paris Saint-Germain manager Luis Enrique emphasized that “starting the season this way is important,” following his team’s triumph in the UEFA Super Cup, despite the “difficult circumstances” just weeks after the conclusion of the 2026 World Cup.

Although he expressed happiness at his team’s victory, the Spanish manager did not miss the opportunity to point out, as he had done the eve of the match in Salzburg, Austria, that his players are “far from the physical readiness that would allow them to compete throughout the season.” After the match, Doue said, “We were keen to start the season very strongly. Now we must continue working; we still have another trophy to aim for (the Trophée des Champions against Lens), and we have many ambitions this season as well.” Among those ambitions is winning the Champions League for the third consecutive time, a goal that Enrique returned to discuss after securing the season’s first trophy.