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Paris Saint-Germain have beaten Tottenham Hotspur on penalties to win the 2025 UEFA Super Cup.
The European champions came from 2-0 down in the closing stages of normal time and then recovered from 2-0 down in the shootout to prevail.
Spurs looked destined for glory thanks to goals either side of half-time from Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero. But they were unable to close it out as substitutes Lee Kang-in and Goncalo Ramos sent the game to penalties.
Vitinha put PSG’s first penalty wide, but his team-mates were flawless with their other four spot kicks. Van de Ven had his penalty saved and Mathys Tel missed the target.
PSG penalties — scored: Ramos, Dembele, Lee, Mendes; missed: Vitinha.
Tottenham penalties — scored: Solanke, Bentancur, Porro; missed: Van de Ven (saved), Tel.
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PSG 2-2 Tottenham (4-3 pens): Spurs let 2-0 lead slip in closing stages to miss out on UEFA Super Cup
That moment when you get to see your name on the trophy and who is sits alongside…
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The fear going into this game — and this season — was that Tottenham are short on quality now.
Son Heung-min has gone. James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski are both recovering from knee surgery. No wonder Spurs fans are so anxious for high-grade replacements at the end of the window.
But this game showed Spurs have more quality than we thought and while they might be short on big names right now, they have plenty of talented young players who Thomas Frank can turn into stars.
Mohammed Kudus was electric on his Spurs debut, never letting PSG rest. Djed Spence, who has just agreed a new improved contract, was perfect at left wing-back, shutting down Achraf Hakimi all night.
Pape Matar Sarr, the furthest forward of Spurs’ three men in central midfield, grew into the game until he was radiating authority, driving Tottenham on and shutting his opponents.
It was only the turning of the game at the end that suggested this squad could maybe do with some more experience, just to help them see out leads like the one they held for much of tonight’s game.
It’s unclear whether Tottenham’s counter-punching approach tonight will become Thomas Frank’s established playstyle or simply a one-off adjustment to contain one of Europe’s most potent attacking teams.
One tactical wrinkle that is likely to endure is a greater emphasis on set pieces than under his predecessor, Ange Postecoglou, who bucked Premier League trends by not employing a set-piece coach.
It paid immediate dividends with both goals tonight coming from this avenue.
Frank highlighted this shift in focus last week when speaking to Jay Harris:
💬 “Set pieces are an area I have a big belief in, and it’s hugely important, but it was not as highlighted as before, looking from the outside.”
Long throw-ins were always likely to be the first set piece in Frank’s crosshairs given how committed his previous side Brentford were to this approach, with 63 per cent of their attacking throw-ins played into the penalty area last season.
Tottenham even conducted long-throw auditions in pre-season, and it was little surprise to see Kevin Danso launching missiles into the box early on.
While those throws caused plenty of chaos, it was a routine from Frank’s free-kick playbook that produced the two goals.
GO FURTHER
PSG 2-2 Tottenham (4-3 pens): Spurs let 2-0 lead slip in closing stages to miss out on UEFA Super Cup
Adding more silverware to a club that has been starved of it for so long is important, and the Tottenham Hotspur players’ dejected faces demonstrated just how close they were to adding a second trophy to their cabinet in three months.
Still, Thomas Frank should take encouragement from his side’s performance against the European champions in his first competitive match in charge.
Sure, Spurs were unable to weather the late spell of pressure. But they were the better side for large parts against a team many believe is the best in the world.
Losing on penalties was a cruel end to a match where Tottenham demonstrated their potential.
Considering the club is actively pursuing alternatives for the injured James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski in the transfer market, the prospect of adding an attacking sprinkle to a well-drilled side should prove attractive.
Tottenham goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario — who was back in his home town of Udine for tonight — also spoke after the Super Cup final, and while most of what he said really wasn’t that interesting, he did include the line that…
💬 “Before the start of this game, everyone thought that Paris would have an easy night…”
I know a few Tottenham fans who thought it would be too. So at least in those terms, Spurs made a decent game of it.
Sadly, Vicario couldn’t make a hero of himself in the shootout.
Let’s hear from PSG goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier, who was well aware of whose gloves he was filling today — and that it wasn’t a perfect night.
That feels like a decent starting point for the 23-year-old:
💬 “It’s the first trophy of my career. It’s thanks to the work of the team last season that we’ve been able to reach this final, and I’m happy I managed to contribute in my own way to winning the trophy. I hope it’s one of many.
“It wasn’t an easy match for me because I’m taking over from such a top goalkeeper. I’m a young goalkeeper, starting with a final, with a lot of expectations, and to go down 2-0… You start to ask yourself whether things aren’t going to go our way.
“After what had happened, I thought maybe this (shootout) could be my moment. I managed to stop one, should have got a second, but they struck them well.”
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Thomas Frank described Spurs’ performance against PSG tonight as a “special operation” that he started planning the day after the defeat to Bayern Munich in the Telekom Cup:
💬 “In medical terms, the operation succeeded but the patient died.”
There were lots of positives for Tottenham tonight, despite the chaotic late turnaround.
A well-executed game plan, clever set pieces and an excellent debut from Mohammed Kudus.
Although there was a curious development here, as Ousmane Dembele handed his player of the match award to tonight’s goalkeeper and PSG debutant, Lucas Chevalier.
In the words of Dembele:
💬 “Magnificent. It’s a dream debut for him. First game, first trophy, a penalty shootout where he was required to make the difference. I’m happy for him, for making him feel like one of the Paris family.”
How lovely. But…
The summer signing from Lille did not cover himself in glory with that second Spurs goal and there still feels like a lot is at play, with Gianluigi Donnarumma seemingly pushing for a PSG exit before the current transfer window closes.
Maybe Dembele just wanted to underpin the good feeling from the night, which would be understandable.
But come PSG’s Champions League defence, Chevalier would be expected to do much better than that moment in Udine.
Player of the match from a UEFA perspective? That went to Ousmane Dembele — and you can appreciate why.
He was keen to be on the ball in a lacklustre PSG first half, and then put in the superb centre for Goncalo Ramos’ late equaliser.
I can still picture Dembele’s smile at that goal now. Here’s his reaction via UEFA:
💬 “When we were still in the hunt for the Champions League and we were getting through game by game — especially after the Round of 16 when we defeated Liverpool who are one of the best teams in Europe — we told ourselves that anything is possible. Quarter-final, semi-final, final. Over the course of 2025, we were the best side in Europe.
“This is enormous. To win another European trophy for the club is magnificent. Starting the season with a trophy, there’s a lot of pride involved. Now we have to continue collecting trophies and win them all.”
As usual, we had a gang of our writers watching tonight’s Super Cup action — and they have the definitive brief on what happened and why, right here.
We’ll reflect some of the key lines in here shortly but if that feels like too much of a wait, then go digest the full briefing below including:
All yours.
GO FURTHER
PSG 2-2 Tottenham (4-3 pens): Spurs let 2-0 lead slip in closing stages to miss out on UEFA Super Cup
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Luis Enrique is always very honest in his post-match appraisals and while it won’t give them the trophy, Tottenham fans can take enormous heart from his comments after today’s game:
💬 “Tottenham played a great match; they were stronger than us. I don’t know if it’s a fair result, but that’s football.
“We have the ability to fight until the end, but we can still improve. If I have to say one important thing for us, which was important last season, it’s our faith. We believe we can win all the time.
“I am very happy, despite the fact it may have been unfair on Tottenham.”
Fabian Ruiz planting his lips on the UEFA Super Cup trophy, polished so bright he could spy his reflection in the metal as he drew it in close.
This really is incredible — and in truth, also an indictment on the current state of football.
Paris Saint-Germain lost 3-0 to Chelsea in the FIFA Club World Cup final on July 14 at MetLife Stadium in the U.S.
They did not play another game between then and today’s UEFA Super Cup victory on penalties over Tottenham in Italy.
Then on Sunday, they begin their Ligue 1 campaign at Nantes.
In the same timeframe, Spurs played six preseason friendlies including the 4-0 Telekom Cup defeat against Bayern Munich.
How the successful Club World Cup teams fare as the new season ticks on will be fascinating, given the total lack of preparations for a fresh campaign.
Richarlison here, showing all his emotion as he wrangles with the runners-up medal.
He worked so hard for his team tonight with no eventual reward.
When you become one of the best teams your club has even seen, you start breaking trends.
Today was the first time in 20 years that Paris Saint-Germain had come from 2-0 down after 84 minutes.
The last time, according to Opta, was in May 2005 when PSG claimed a 2-2 draw against Sochaux, with the goals coming in the 88th and 89th minutes from Sylvain Armand and Mario Yepes respectively.
This one will stick in the memory more, I imagine.
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Lucas Chevalier, 23 years old and on debut, sticking his tongue impudently as vanquished goalkeeping opponent Guglielmo Vicario strode away after his side lost the shootout.
Cinema.
More here from Thomas Frank, after he was asked about his desire to add to his Tottenham squad in the final weeks of the summer transfer window — and he made his stance very clear. This is what he said to TNT Sports:
💬 “We’d like to strengthen the squad, no doubt about that. And we’re working very hard to see if we can do that.
“In general, I’m happy with the squad but in every transfer window, you like to see if you can make the squad stronger.”
Then moving onto his players dusting themselves down for the start of their Premier League campaign on Saturday, Frank added:
💬 “There will be a bit of disappointment for the next 24 hours and then tomorrow afternoon, we will be ready. On Friday we will be more ready to make sure we come flying out on Saturday.”
A few consolation points there from Spurs boss Thomas Frank — and one here for one of his new players too.
Micky van de Ven scored the opening goal tonight, and with it he became the first Dutchman to score in the UEFA Super Cup since…
Pierre van Hooijdonk for Feyenoord, against Real Madrid in 2002.
I loved watching Van Hooijdonk as a player, and I’d file Van de Ven in the same pile too, actually.
Here’s hoping he can stay fit and feature more for Tottenham this coming season.
PSG beat Tottenham on penalties to win UEFA Super Cup: Live updates and reaction – The New York Times
