PSG have won the UEFA Super Cup for the first time in their history after beating an impressive Tottenham Hotspur side on penalties.
Thomas Frank was adamant during his pre-match press conference that his side would be “Super competitive” against PSG. He was more than right, as his team took PSG to the limit before ultimately losing on penalties after being 2-0 up with 10 minutes to go.
Spurs played incredibly well in the first half, and as the first period drew to a close, they got the goal they deserved, as the ball fell to Micky van de Ven, who had the simplest of tasks of putting the ball into an empty net.
Then, just three minutes into the second half, Frank’s side had a second, as the new skipper Cristian Romero ghosted into the PSG box and headed home completely unmarked.
Substitute Lee Kang-in gave his side a lifeline in the game’s dying embers as he fired home from range, and then two minutes from time, Gonçalo Ramos headed into an empty net to give his team something of an undeserved leveller.
It was going to penalties. And ultimately PSG won on spot kicks 4-3 with Nuno Mendes scoring the deciding penalty to give his side the win and their first ever Super Cup.
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Story of the match
Thomas Frank’s team for his first competitive match in charge of Tottenham Hotspur was an interesting one, with the Dane handing out debuts to new signings Mohammed Kudus and João Palhinha.
Centre back Cristian Romero was announced publicly as the new Spurs captain in Frank’s pre-match interview.
The former Brentford head coach also opted to have the ever-divisive Richarlison lead the line, as last season’s Europa League final goal scorer, Brennan Johnson, had to settle for a place on the bench.
As for their opponents, Luis Enrique’s side are merely a month removed from finishing their previous campaign. However, despite the tight turnaround, the Spaniard still elected for his PSG all-star lineup, which we have become accustomed to, with the only new face being that of Lucas Chevalier in net.
Even in the game’s opening stages, it was clear that Spurs under Frank are a completely different proposition from the one under Ange Postecoglou. They were controlled; they were applying pressure without being reckless, and the defensive line was nowhere near as high as it had been for the past two seasons. It seemed a real back-to-basics approach.
Despite that, the first chance of the game went the way of the French giants, as they put together a sensational move, with some intricate play, culminating with Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s close-range effort just going the wrong side of the post. A warning for Spurs.
While the game’s first 20 minutes did not bless fans with a barrage of chances, there was plenty to be interested in. Kudus was a bundle of energy and was key for Spurs, particularly when they did not have possession; the Spurs midfield stood firm and were physical but were not being drawn into fouls, and the two wing-backs, Pedro Porro and Djed Spence, had started brightly, chiefly offensively.
And their good start almost brought them a goal, as a nice bit of link-up play between Kudus and Richarlison ended with the Brazilian trying his luck from distance, and he very nearly lobbed Chevalier, but the Frenchman produced a fine save, his first for his new side, tipping it over the bar.
While PSG had a lot of the ball, it was clear that Spurs’ discipline with their shape and understanding of how they wanted to play was frustrating the stars in red and blue, with the Parisians having to think a lot while in possession. Normally, they can cut through their opposition at will, but that was not the case in Udine.
40 minutes in, and Spurs got the lead they so richly deserved, courtesy of Micky van de Ven.
Guglielmo Vicario launched a free kick from the halfway line forward, and after a moment of pinball in the PSG box, it ended up at Rodrigo Bentancur’s feet, his effort was tipped onto the bar by Chevalier before falling to the feet of the Dutch centre back, who simply could not miss, his first goal in 15 months.
Minutes later, and Spurs very nearly had a second, as Kudus saw his effort come off the post with Richarlison unable to get to the rebound.
PSG were going to need a rethink for the second half, as Frank was outsmarting Enrique in just about every department.
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Second half
Things went from bad to worse for PSG when Spurs doubled their lead three minutes into the second half, this time through newly-instated captain Romero.
Porro put a deep free kick into the box, where somehow PSG conspired to allow Romero to ghost in by the back post completely unmarked and head home.
The goalkeeping position at PSG has been the subject of much discussion in recent weeks, and it will only be fuelled by the fact that Chevalier should have done much better with Romero’s header.
Five minutes later, Kevin Danso also went unmarked by the back post and very gave his side a three-goal lead; his effort hit the side netting, giving off the illusion of a goal.
Les Rouge-et-Bleu looked a far cry from the side that dismantled Inter Milan in the Champions League final two months ago. They looked lost; they were being bullied and were being outplayed.
Kvaratskhelia was dragged off on the hour mark. The Georgian had an incredibly quiet game, and that is, in large part, due to the performance of Spence, who was sensational in dealing with the tricky winger all night.
Luis Enrique’s men thought they had pulled one back through Bradley Barcola, but the Frenchman was deemed to have been offside.
As the minutes ticked by, it was clear that Spurs were happy to sit back and allow PSG to have all the ball, remaining compact and waiting for their opposition to make the wrong move.
However, with five minutes to go, Lee Kang-in gave his team a lifeline, as he fired a low effort from range past Vicario. Despite how poor they had been, it was now game on.
PSG continued to mount a late bout of pressure, with their more flamboyant players who had been absent for the most part now entering the fray. With Ousmane Dembélé finally waking up and starting to look a threat.
Six minutes of added time was announced. Could Frank’s men hold on? Or would the irresistible force that is PSG do what they almost always do?
Unfortunately for Spurs, it would be the latter of the two, as Gonçalo Ramos headed home from six yards out to draw his side level.
And perhaps harshly on Spurs, it was going to be penalties. However, PSG should be praised for showing character and not giving up, despite playing so poorly.
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Penalties
Dominic Solanke stepped up first and put in the bottom right. 1-0.
Next was Vitinha, who did a long, dramatic run-up and sent Vicario the wrong way but put it wide. 1-0.
Rodrigo Bentancur took the next one and fired home. 2-0.
Gonçalo Ramos was up for PSG, and he smashed it right down the middle. 2-1.
Micky van de Ven was next, but his bottom right penalty was saved by Lucas Chevalier. 2-1.
Last season’s golden boy, Ousmane Dembélé, took next and had no problem. 2-2.
Mathys Tel was up, but his penalty was a poor one, as he missed the target. 2-2.
Lee Kang-in scored PSG’s fifth penalty to put his side in the ascendancy. 3-2.
Pedro Porro needed to score, and he did so, putting it in the top right corner 3-3.
It came down to Nuno Mendes, score, and his side were the Super Cup winners. And score he did. 4-3.
It was unbelievably harsh on Spurs. They had been the better team for the majority of that game and definitely deserved more than what they ultimately got. But there are plenty of positives to take from this game. They took the world’s best to their absolute limit, and Frank and his men can be proud of that.
For PSG, it was a lucky escape, but when you are as good as they are, you make your own luck.
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Player of the match - Djed Spence
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia will wake up in cold sweats for the foreseeable future thanks to the performance of one Djed Spence in this game.
The 25-year-old was unquestionably incredible from start to finish, both offensively and defensively; it was his best performance in a Spurs shirt bar none.
He got forward and caused Achraf Hakimi plenty of issues with his pace and ability to drive, and led by example at the back, giving a masterclass in stand-up, one-on-one defending.
More performances like this will see Destiny Udogie sweating over his place in the team.
