Saint-Germain.. 'European Sovereignty'

French club Paris Saint-Germain, the UEFA Champions League winners, retained their UEFA Super Cup title by defeating English side Aston Villa 2-1 at the Red Bull Arena in Salzburg yesterday. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (20th minute) and Desire Doue (62nd minute) scored for PSG, while young Brian Madjou 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.

PSG won the continental competition last season by beating English club Arsenal on penalties, while Aston Villa thrashed their German opponents, Freiburg, 3-0 in the Europa League final. PSG had previously won the UEFA Super Cup last year for the first time in their history, defeating English side Tottenham Hotspur in a thrilling match decided by penalties.

Spanish manager Luis Enrique, still eager to add to his trophy cabinet, fielded a starting lineup featuring Brazilian captain Marquinhos and Ecuadorian defender Pacho as the central defensive pairing. Warren Zaïre-Emery started in midfield alongside new signing from Monaco, Magnin Akliouch. Ousmane Dembélé and Spanish midfielder Fabián Ruiz sat on the bench.

PSG’s pre-season preparations were not entirely successful, with many stars still regaining their form and a group of young players. The Parisians suffered a heavy 3-0 defeat to Mallorca on August 5, before drawing 1-1 with Manchester United three days later.

On the other side, after a fluctuating spell at PSG (2016-2018), Spanish manager Unai Emery regained his form with Villarreal and then Aston Villa since 2022. The Basque manager, popular in northern England, has won the Europa League five times, a record. Aston Villa prepared for the new season with six matches, showing inconsistent results against varying opponents (three wins, three losses). Emery fielded two young players: 17-year-old Madjou in attack and 19-year-old George Hemmings at left-back.

The Spanish manager was without Ollie Watkins, Ezri Konsa, and Argentine goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez, with Dutchman Marco Bizot replacing him between the posts.

Kvaratskhelia opened the scoring after increasing pressure in Aston Villa’s penalty area. Following an initial warning shot from Doue, the Georgian received the ball 16.5 meters out and fired a powerful strike that found the net near the near post (20th minute).

Madjou rewarded Villa’s efforts before halftime, creating the equalizer after a pass from Scottish captain John McGinn allowed him to beat Pacho at the far post, finishing with a skillful left-footed touch (45th minute).

Doue restored PSG’s lead in the second half, which saw the introduction of Dembélé. After a precise pass behind the defensive line, Dembélé found himself unmarked, entered the penalty area, and calmly finished with his left foot into the net (62nd minute).

McGinn was again dribbled past by Portuguese winger Nuno Mendes on the right flank. Mendes cut inside the PSG penalty area and passed to Hemmings, who shot powerfully with his right foot, but Russian goalkeeper Matvei Safonov saved it with a punch (63rd minute).

Despite efforts from both sides, the score remained unchanged until the final whistle.