Paris Saint-Germain clinched the European Super Cup for the second year in a row after beating Aston Villa 2-1, with Desire Doue netting the winner in the 61st minute of the European season's curtain-raiser. Doue's goal, set up by Ousmane Dembele, was initially ruled out for offside but was allowed after a VAR review determined that Villa's Matty Cash had played the forward onside.
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia opened the scoring in the 20th minute with a powerful shot. Brian Madjo, the 17-year-old striker making his official debut for Villa after receiving clearance to play just days earlier amid a registration dispute with FIFA, equalized with a volley. He became the youngest player to start and score in a European Super Cup final.
This is the first of six potential trophies for PSG this season. They are also the first team to win the European Super Cup in consecutive years since Real Madrid in 2016 and 2017. The Super Cup pits the Champions League winners (PSG) against the Europa League winners (Villa) at the start of each season.
The match in Salzburg, Austria, was refereed by Somali official Omar Artan. The United States had blocked Artan from working at the World Cup just days before the tournament over background check concerns, alleging ties to terrorist organizations without providing evidence. UEFA then selected Artan, who was named Africa's best referee last season, for the Super Cup as a retaliatory move amid growing tensions with FIFA. Artan is the first non-European referee to officiate a European Super Cup match and showed three yellow cards, all to Villa players.
