In a night of high drama in Udine, Tottenham Hotspur saw a dream start under new manager Thomas Frank unravel in the cruellest fashion as Paris Saint-Germain staged a late, late comeback to lift the first European trophy of the season on penalties.
Spurs looked destined for glory after a near-perfect display kept the Champions League winners at bay for much of the contest. Micky van de Ven’s header from a set-piece in the first half and Cristian Romero’s towering strike after the break had the North London side cruising toward a 2-0 lead, seemingly on course to add another trophy to their cabinet just months after their last triumph.
PSG, still shaking off the rust from a short pre-season following their Club World Cup defeat to Chelsea, struggled to find rhythm early on. But Luis Enrique’s hour-mark changes proved decisive. The introduction of Fabian Ruiz injected fresh creativity, while substitute Kang-In Lee unleashed a fierce drive from the edge of the box to spark hope in the 89th minute.
Then, in stoppage time, the unthinkable happened Goncalo Ramos rose to meet a cross and powered in a header to level the score at 2-2, sending the match to penalties. Spurs initially held the edge when Vitinha missed PSG’s opening spot-kick, but misses from Van de Ven and Mathys Tel swung momentum. Finally, Nuno Mendes delivered the decisive blow, sealing PSG’s triumph and leaving Spurs to rue what might have been.
It was a brutal lesson for Tottenham five minutes from history, only to watch the Super Cup slip away in a flash. For PSG, it was the perfect rebound from recent heartbreak, snatching victory by the narrowest of margins.
