Paris Saint-Germain grabbed their second straight Super Cup crown with a win over Aston Villa.
The Champions League title holders had ownership of the early proceedings, pushing into the lead through a fine finish from Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. However, a dream debut for Brian Madjo, crowned by a first half equaliser, established that the Europa League winners would not roll over.
The favourites continued to be unsettled, but Desire Doue decided the duel with a smart second half finish. Luis Enrique watched his men prove their mettle, and they held onto the lead until full time.
Story of the Match
It was a much-changed team for Villa after the success in the final against Freiburg. Victor Lindelof dropped into central defence with Pau Torres while Ian Maatsen stepped in for the departed Lucas Digne. Boubacar Kamara came back from his knee injury to partner with debutant Joao Gomes in the middle of the park.
John McGinn wore the armband, and Emiliano Buendia was on the left of the midfield, leaving Brian Madjo and George Hemmings to take the other two slots in the attack.
On the other hand, nine starters from the victory over Arsenal featured for PSG. Nuno Mendes, Willian Pacho, Marquinhos and Achraf Hakimi were handed the roles in the back four. Warren Zaire-Emery entered the midfield unit in place of Fabian Ruiz, rested on the bench after World Cup duty, to join Portuguese pair Vitinha and Joao Neves.
Summer signing Magnes Akliouche rotated in for Ousmane Dembele to complete the frontline with Desire Doue and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.
Kvaratskhelia Opens the Scoring
The opening stages of the showdown went the way one would have expected. PSG controlled most of the ball possession, forcing Villa to wait for moments. With the lineup closest to their best eleven, it was not a surprise to see Enrique's men make the first inroad on the scoreline in the 20th minute.
Madjo mistimed his leap to clear the ball away from Villa's box, and the Parisians pushed the ball to their left flank. Doue released Kvaratskhelia, and the winger waltzed inside before firing a strike beyond Marco Bizot. He had threatened in several phases with his fleet-footed dribbling, and the attacker showed signs that he is set to continue his strong scoring form in Europe from last season.
The Georgian was gunning for blood, bringing Mendes into the game with a well-weighted clipped through ball. The fullback funnelled forward into the final third, firing a cutback across the face of the six-yard box. Three blue and red shirts strayed close to the ball, but none could convert the chance.
That moment seemed to spark Villa into life. The captain led by example, receiving a layoff from Madjo before whipping an aerial ball towards the striker. Matvei Safonov was left rooted on his spot as he watched the unopposed header drift wide of the mark: a warning shot for the Parisians to heed.
Not long later, Madjo's fellow teenager, Hemmings, had an opening to break through and attack the goal. Hakimi made up the yards with his recovery run as the attacker lost his footing, forcing Madjo to make do with an angled effort from outside the width of the goal. Once more, PSG survived.
History then repeated itself for the Villans. Buendia was bundled down on the edge of the penalty area, and the underdogs had to be content with a corner kick. From the second phase of the set-piece, McGinn smartly swivelled away from Kvaratskhelia, clipping a cross towards the far post. Madjo was again the recipient of the service, but his headed effort looped over the bar, letting PSG off the hook.
Chances continued to come the way of Emery's men. Marquinhos moved decisively to mop up a set-piece situation before a Joao Gomes header was diverted away from the target. Moments later, Buendia smuggled a reverse pass into the path of Madjo, who missed the mark and hit the post.
Eventually, as the action ticked over into injury time, Villa cashed in on their good work. McGinn made the difference with another dangerous delivery to the back stick where Madjo managed to hold off the attention of Pacho. He hooked a volley with his left boot into the roof of the net and equalised.
Doue Settles the Duel
Ousmane Dembele displaced Akliouche before the start of the second half, but Villa continued to take the initiative. Buendia broke the lines once more, and McGinn forced Safonov into a firm save. The threat from Kvaratskhelia was fading, and Villa had registered almost double the number of strikes that the Parisians produced in the first hour. But the quality of the favourites would hit back.
Dembele dropped deep in the right channel, cracking the backline with a pass for Doue. His fellow French forward smartly set out a shooting lane to whip the ball into the side netting. It appeared he had strayed far offside, but Cash had not jumped forward with the rest of the defence upon review.
Emery's men would not go down without a fight. Almost immediately, Buendia cut the Parisiens open with another pass, and Hemmings had a clear opening in the danger zone. However, he hammered his attempt straight into the body of Safonov, so PSG had a little more time to recompose themselves.
The Basque boss would roll the dice with a triple substitution. Tammy Abraham switched in for Madjo and Alysson almost had an immediate impact with a driving run down the right wing. Gomes followed the rebound to slam a shot at the target, but Zaire-Emery's leg deflected his effort. Not long later, Abraham attempted a give-and-go with Alysson, but the Brazilian's return ball was wayward.
The Parisians were not completely powerless: Mendes would force Bizot into action, then a Dembele dribble created chaos in the Villa box that ended up with a stabbed Kvaratskhelia effort at the target.
Though their momentum had waned, the Villans would create one final chance of note: a headed effort that Buendia blew during injury time. It was a valiant effort, but defeat followed all the same. Emery's hunt for a Super Cup title goes on, and PSG proved that they are still at the top of the pile.
