Paris Saint-Germain won the UEFA Super Cup for a second consecutive season on Wednesday, defeating Aston Villa 2-1 at the Red Bull Arena in Salzburg, Austria.
Désiré Doué scored the decisive goal in the second half and provided an assist to earn player of the match honors, securing a third career Super Cup trophy for manager Luis Enrique on the day of the French club's 56th anniversary.
The French champions opened the match with Luis Enrique's traditional rugby-style long kickoff to press the opening throw-in. PSG took the lead in the 21st minute through Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, who had earlier seen an initial effort saved by Marco Bizot. Collecting a pass from Nuno Mendes, the Georgian winger cut inside the penalty area twice before beating Bizot with a powerful right-footed finish.
Aston Villa had created early pressure in front of roughly 30,000 spectators, earning a corner in the third minute and seeing Boubacar Kamara send a long-range shot narrowly past Matvey Safonov's post in the 12th minute. Following Kvaratskhelia's opener, the winger went down in the box in the 24th minute, but Somali referee Omar Artan correctly waved play on.
Artan, named Africa's Best Male Referee in 2025 and a FIFA international since 2018, became the first non-European referee to officiate a UEFA Super Cup. He had been selected for the 2026 World Cup but was unable to officiate after being denied entry to the United States. Artan was supported in Salzburg by assistant referees Liban Ahmed of Djibouti and Stephen Yiembe of Kenya.
Madjo makes history for Villa
Aston Villa equalised on the stroke of half-time through 17-year-old striker Brian Madjo. Standing nearly two metres tall, Madjo became the youngest player to start and score in a European final when he collided with Marquinhos to volley home a cross from captain John McGinn in the 45th minute.
Madjo had been a constant threat to PSG central defenders Marquinhos and Willian Pacho throughout the first half. He held off Pacho in the 28th minute to set up Emiliano Buendía before heading the return cross just wide, missed another close-range header in the 41st minute, and saw a 44th-minute strike deflect off Pacho onto the post. The referee incorrectly awarded a goal kick instead of a corner following the post strike.
PSG had earlier seen Nuno Mendes lose possession under new throw-in time limits introduced after the World Cup, while Achraf Hakimi misplayed a right-wing volley. By leading at the half-hour mark, PSG had placed themselves in strong historical position, as the team scoring first had won 23 of the previous 31 single-leg Super Cup finals, or 74 percent.
Doué delivers decisive winner
Luis Enrique brought on Ousmane Dembélé at half-time for Maghnes Akliouche, forming a front line alongside Doué and Kvaratskhelia. After Safonov saved a curling effort from McGinn and Warren Zaïre-Emery tested Bizot, PSG scored the winning goal in the 61st minute.
Matty Cash failed to step up with Villa's defensive line, leaving Doué nearly three metres onside to collect a deep pass and finish past Bizot. An initial offside flag was overturned following a VAR review. Doué became only the fifth player since 2006 to record both a goal and an assist in a Super Cup final, joining Pavel Pogrebnyak in 2008, Sergio Agüero in 2010, Lionel Messi in 2011, and Luis Suárez in 2015.
Safonov denied Buendía an immediate equaliser in the 63rd minute, before João Gomes received a yellow card for tripping Doué on a counter-attack. Pau Torres and McGinn were also booked for Villa. Nuno Mendes left the pitch with right leg cramps in the 75th minute, prompting defensive changes for PSG.
Unai Emery made a triple substitution in the 72nd minute, introducing Lamar Bogarde, Alysson, and Tammy Abraham for Kamara, Madjo, and McGinn, before adding Tyrone Mings and Ross Barkley for Pau Torres and João Gomes in the 79th minute. PSG introduced Lucas Hernández and Fabián Ruiz for Nuno Mendes and Neves, followed by Senny Mayulu and Lucas Beraldo for Doué and Kvaratskhelia late on.
Dembélé broke into the area in the 82nd minute before Kvaratskhelia chipped wide, while Abraham failed to capitalize on a three-on-three counter-attack. Buendía whistled a header just past Safonov's post in the 94th minute of five added minutes. Without extra time in the competition, Villa's late pressure ended at the final whistle.
Managerial rivalry and team missing stars
The victory preserved Luis Enrique's unbeaten Super Cup record, following PSG's penalty shootout victory over Tottenham the previous year after coming back from 0-2 down. Before the match, Villa manager Emery praised his Spanish counterpart, stating that Luis Enrique was currently the best manager in the world after winning two Champions League titles.
Emery suffered his fourth Super Cup defeat, having previously lost finals in 2014, 2015, and 2021, despite leading Villa to their fifth Europa League title on May 20 with a 3-0 win over Freiburg in Istanbul. Villa's previous Europa League goals came from Yuri Tielemans off a corner routine, Buendía into the top corner, and Morgan Rogers from a Buendía assist.
Both squads entered the match with notable missing players. Villa were without goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez due to the US World Cup, having sold Rogers to Chelsea for a multi-million fee and being unable to select new Swiss signing Manzambi. PSG manager Luis Enrique used pre-match training to endorse midfielder Fabián Ruiz for the Ballon d'Or, noting that Ruiz was the only player this season to win both the Champions League and the World Cup, alongside his previous Euro and Nations League titles.
PSG had qualified for Salzburg by retaining the Champions League in May, defeating Mikel Arteta's Arsenal 4-3 on penalties following a 1-1 draw in which Dembélé's penalty cancelled out Kai Havertz's early strike, after Mosquera fouled Kvaratskhelia. Eberechi Eze and Gabriel missed their spot-kicks for Arsenal in that shootout.
Personal journeys to Salzburg
The final highlighted remarkable personal backgrounds within both squads. PSG defender Willian Pacho wore his shirt number 51 in memory of his mother Glenda, who died of breast cancer aged 51 on November 2, 2019, the day of his professional debut for Independiente del Valle. Pacho, who grew up playing on dirt streets in Ecuador before spells at Royal Antwerp and Eintracht Frankfurt, helped Independiente win their first national title.
Villa defender Tyrone Mings featured as a substitute following a career that included spending 18 months in a homeless shelter as a child. Released by Southampton at 15, Mings played non-league football while earning £45 a week and working as a dishwasher, bartender, and mortgage advisor. He passed his driving test to buy a used Citroën Saxo to commute to Chippenham Town, later earning moves to Ipswich Town, Bournemouth, Villa, and the England national team.
Kvaratskhelia, another contender for the Ballon d'Or who features no tattoos or extreme hairstyles, missed the US World Cup because Georgia did not qualify. Madjo had required clearance to feature after moving from France as a minor in January, receiving approval because he was born in England.
Following a post-match guard of honour by PSG for Villa to collect their runner-up medals, PSG captain Marquinhos lifted the UEFA Super Cup trophy in Salzburg.
