PSG win UEFA Super Cup

Paris Saint-Germain produced a dramatic late rally before beating Tottenham in a penalty shootout to win the UEFA Super Cup yesterday, securing a fifth trophy of 2025 for the French club.

Nuno Mendes converted the clinching spot kick in the shootout to complete a PSG comeback that looked unlikely when Tottenham held a 2-0 lead in the 85th minute of regulation in the annual match between the most recent winners of the Champions League and Europa League.

Lee Kang-in gave PSG hope by reducing the deficit with a fierce shot into the bottom corner and fellow substitute Goncalo Ramos grabbed an equaliser in the fourth minute of stoppage time to make it 2-2 at Stadio Friuli in Udine.

Even then, Tottenham moved into position to pull off an upset by taking a 2-0 lead in the shootout after Vitinha's first-up miss for PSG. However, Micky van de Ven and Mathys Tel failed from the spot for Spurs and PSG scored four penalties in a row, the last of which was slammed home by Mendes.

"Sometimes football is unfair," PSG coach Luis Enrique said. "I have to say we were very lucky in the last 10 minutes that we could score two goals."

PSG won the Champions League-Ligue 1-Coupe de France treble last season, along with the Trophee des Champions in January. The only blip came in last month's defeat to Chelsea in the final of the Club World Cup, a competition which extended PSG's 2024-25 season into mid-July.

Luis Enrique said PSG's players had only been back in training for six days and took time to get into their stride.

"My players had faith until the last minute, like our supporters," he said.

Thomas Frank was taking charge of his first competitive match at Tottenham after replacing the fired Ange Postecoglou, who led the team to their first trophy in 17 years with a victory over Manchester United in the Europa League final in May.

The former Brentford manager almost had a trophy to take home, with Tottenham initially outsmarting PSG and showing clearly they are further along in their preparations for the new campaign compared to PSG.

Frank said Tottenham "played almost perfectly".

"The single result, 2-2, is good," Frank said. "If you look into the performance, the shift the players put in ... wow, what a mentality.

"There are lots of things to be happy with. That needs to be the foundation going forward."

- AP