Paris Saint-Germain continued their impressive run under Luis Enrique by beating Aston Villa 2-1 in the UEFA Super Cup for the second consecutive year. The French champions had another fantastic performance on Wednesday to win another European trophy to their growing list of awards.
PSG entered the contest as the champions of the Champions League, and they wanted to maintain their supremacy on the continental stage. And although the French team wasn’t at their best for a long period of the match, it showed enough quality in the final moments to overcome a hard-working Aston Villa side managed by Unai Emery.
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Désiré Doué were the goalscorers for PSG, and their efforts ultimately made the difference in a very competitive match.
Kvaratskhelia Gives PSG Early Lead
PSG started the match with intention and were rewarded in the 20th minute when Kvaratskhelia produced a moment of individual brilliance.
The Georgian attacker opened the scoring with a stunning finish that gave PSG a huge early advantage. His goal gave the French side the means to control the game and put Aston Villa under pressure from the start.
Villa, however, refused to allow PSG to dictate the match for long. Emery’s side gradually found its rhythm and started creating opportunities as the first half progressed.
Their persistence eventually paid off just before the interval when Brian Madjo scored the equaliser. The goal came at a crucial point for Aston Villa and the two teams went into the break at 1-1 in the same position.
The equaliser also made the situation on the pitch a bit more interesting, and both teams came into the second half knowing the next goal could be the most important one.
Désiré Doué Reclaims PSG’s Lead
PSG came out strongly after half-time and eventually regained their advantage in the 61st minute.
Désiré Doué completed a well-worked attacking move after receiving a through ball from Ousmane Dembélé. Doué showed composure inside the attacking area before producing a curling effort that found the back of the net.
The result restored PSG's 2-1 lead and gave the Champions League holders renewed confidence.
Aston Villa tried to respond, but PSG’s defensive organisation enabled the French side to keep its advantage. Villa continued to try and find another equaliser, but PSG held on for the rest of the game.
Another European Trophy for Luis Enrique's PSG
The victory underlines PSG's growing dominance in European football. The club has now followed its Champions League success with another UEFA Super Cup triumph, continuing a remarkable period under Luis Enrique.
PSG’s European success is a huge turning point for the club, which has spent so much money on the chase for continental supremacy.
The back-to-back Super Cup wins strengthen the team as well as show that it is capable of playing in high-pressure European games.
Aston Villa’s defeat will be disappointing as they showed a lot of fight and kept their cool and survived PSG’s early goal. Emery’s side was competitive, but they were ultimately undone by PSG’s attacking ability.
Kvaratskhelia and Doué Make the Difference
The match once again illustrated PSG's attacking depth. Kvaratskhelia’s opening goal was the individual brilliance required to break the deadlock, and Doué’s second-half finish proved decisive.
Dembélé also played a major role in the winning goal by delivering the through ball that allowed Doué to create the opportunity.
While PSG may not have been their best team, they did find the solution when it was needed, and so they won another major trophy.
The 2-1 win means PSG can celebrate another successful European final under Luis Enrique. The French giants have now got another Super Cup in their trophy cabinet with two straight Champions League titles.
PSG supporters would have seen this last win as further evidence that the club has established itself as one of the great forces in European football. The challenge now is for them to maintain these fantastic levels of consistency through the rest of the season.
