Tottenham Hotspur, trailing 2-0 until the 84th minute, staged an incredible late comeback to force a penalty shootout—but PSG ultimately lifted the Super Cup.
Tottenham dominated the first hour, controlling the game so effectively that PSG barely seemed present. Yet the French champions produced a stunning turnaround, erasing a two-goal deficit in the final minutes and winning in the shootout, crushing the dreams of the English side.
At Stadio Friuli in Udine on Wednesday night, Tottenham appeared on course for victory, leading 2-0 until the 84th minute. PSG struck twice in stoppage time to level at 2-2, sending the match to penalties. There, Luis Enrique’s side triumphed 4-3.
Tottenham’s defenders, Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero, had put their team two goals ahead inside 48 minutes. PSG’s goals came from substitutes Lee Kang-in, who reduced the deficit, and Gonzalo Ramos, who equalized.
In the shootout, PSG’s first attempt by Vitinha hit the post, but the next four found the net. Tottenham’s van de Ven had his shot saved by PSG’s new goalkeeper, Luka Subalié, while Matthias Thiel missed the target.
PSG became the first French club to win the UEFA Super Cup, contested between the previous season’s Champions League and Europa League winners.
Last May, PSG had claimed their first Champions League title by thrashing Inter Milan in the final, while Tottenham ended a 17-year trophy drought by defeating Manchester United in the Europa League final. Yet in just three months, Spurs came close to another trophy but fell short.
For Tottenham, it was also a missed opportunity for captain Romero, who had taken the armband following Son Heung-min’s departure. For coach Thomas Frank, this was his first competitive match in charge.
PSG controlled 74% of possession but struggled for accuracy. In the first half, they had four shots but none on target, while three of Tottenham’s eight attempts were on target. In the second half, PSG managed three on-target efforts from eight shots, and Tottenham had two of five.
Tottenham pressed PSG from the start, creating one attack after another. The French side held firm for much of the half but conceded in the 39th minute. A volley from Joao Palhinha, who joined Spurs on loan from Bayern Munich, struck the crossbar after brushing PSG’s goalkeeper, and Micky van de Ven followed up to score.
Three minutes into the second half, captain Romero doubled Tottenham’s lead, heading in a Pedro Paro free-kick.
Trailing by two, PSG increased their attacking intensity. They struck the Tottenham goal in the 65th minute, only for the effort to be ruled offside.
Lee Kang-in pulled one back in the 85th minute with a powerful low shot from outside the box. In the fourth minute of added time, a perfect cross from Ousmane Dembélé found Gonzalo Ramos six yards out, completing the equalizer.
PSG then triumphed in the dramatic shootout, lifting the trophy after last season’s treble-winning campaign.
