French Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain retained the UEFA Super Cup title by defeating English side Aston Villa 2-1 at the Red Bull Arena in Salzburg on Wednesday.
Georgian winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Désiré Doué scored PSG’s goals, while teenage forward Brian Madjo scored for Aston Villa on his first appearance for the club.
The UEFA Super Cup brings together the winners of the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League. PSG defeated English side Arsenal on penalties in the Champions League, while Aston Villa beat Germany’s Freiburg 3-0 in the Europa League final.
PSG won the UEFA Super Cup for the first time in their history last year, defeating English side Tottenham in a thrilling match decided by a penalty shootout.
Still hungry for more silverware, Spanish coach Luis Enrique fielded a strong starting lineup. Brazilian captain Marquinhos partnered Ecuadorian defender Willian Pacho at center-back, while Warren Zaïre-Emery started in midfield alongside new signing Maghnes Akliouche, who joined from Monaco.
Ousmane Dembélé and Spanish midfielder Fabián Ruiz started on the bench.
PSG endured an unsuccessful preseason, with several stars still working their way back to full fitness alongside 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.
Aston Villa, meanwhile, are coached by Spanish manager Unai Emery, who rediscovered his form after an inconsistent spell at PSG between 2016 and 2018, before enjoying success with Villarreal and Aston Villa since 2022.
The Basque coach, who is highly regarded in northern England, has won the Europa League five times, a record.
Aston Villa prepared for the new season with six matches, producing mixed results against opponents of varying levels, with three wins and three defeats.
Emery handed starts to youngsters Madjo, 17, in attack and George Hemmings, 19, at left-back. Villa were without Ollie Watkins, Ezri Konsa and Argentine goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez, with Dutch goalkeeper Marco Bizot replacing Martínez between the posts.
PSG opened the scoring after sustained pressure around the Villa penalty area. Following an initial warning shot from Doué, Kvaratskhelia received the ball 16.5 meters from goal and unleashed a powerful strike that beat Bizot at the near post in the 20th minute.
Madjo rewarded Villa’s efforts before halftime, making an impact after receiving a pass from Scottish captain John McGinn. He beat Pacho at the far post before producing a composed left-footed finish in the 45th minute.
Doué restored PSG’s lead in the second half, which also saw Dembélé come on. After receiving a precise pass behind the defense, Doué found himself unmarked inside the penalty area and calmly fired a left-footed shot into the net in the 62nd minute.
A minute later, McGinn again beat Portuguese full-back Nuno Mendes on the right wing and drove into the PSG penalty area before finding Hemmings, whose powerful right-footed shot was punched away by Russian goalkeeper Matvey Safonov.
Despite efforts from both sides, the score remained unchanged until the final whistle.
AFP
