Paris Saint-Germain began their European campaign with another trophy on Wednesday, edging Aston Villa 2-1 in Salzburg to become only the third club to win the UEFA Super Cup in consecutive years.
The Champions League holders had to withstand a spirited Villa challenge before Désiré Doué’s second-half strike settled a contest that repeatedly threatened to swing either way. PSG had also won last year’s Super Cup, beating Tottenham Hotspur on penalties in Udine.
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia gave Luis Enrique’s side the breakthrough, but Aston Villa responded through 17-year-old Brian Madjo, who became the youngest scorer in Super Cup history.
The teenager’s equaliser injected fresh belief into Unai Emery’s side, who arrived in Salzburg as Europa League champions after a 3-0 victory over Freiburg in May. Villa were not overawed by the European champions and repeatedly threatened to turn the contest on its head.
But PSG, accustomed to high-pressure European occasions, eventually found the decisive moment.
Doué curled home the winner in the second half to hand the French champions another piece of European silverware and preserve their remarkable recent run under Enrique.
The victory also gave PSG the chance to make history. UEFA had identified them as only the second club in the modern era capable of retaining the Super Cup after Real Madrid achieved the feat in 2016 and 2017.
For Villa, defeat was a harsh reward for a performance that demonstrated why their Europa League triumph was no fluke.
The English side had already pushed PSG to the limit in their previous competitive meetings. They lost their 2025 Champions League quarter-final tie 5-4 on aggregate after recovering from a 3-1 first-leg defeat to win the return leg 3-2.
That history was evident again in Salzburg as Emery’s team refused to surrender despite facing a PSG side packed with European champions.
The final also carried an intriguing subplot with Somali referee Omar Artan taking charge after his controversial exclusion from the 2026 FIFA World Cup. UEFA selected Artan for the Super Cup after he had been denied entry to the United States ahead of the World Cup.
The match was played at Stadion Salzburg, which hosted its first major UEFA club final. It was also the 14th different venue to stage the Super Cup since the fixture moved away from its long-time home in Monaco.
For PSG, however, the night was ultimately about another trophy.
After winning back-to-back Champions League titles and lifting last season’s Super Cup, Enrique’s side have now added another European honour to an already extraordinary trophy haul.
And with Doué once again providing the decisive touch, Paris have sent an early warning that their hunger for silverware has survived the summer.
Tosin Oyediran is a journalist at Punch Newspapers with over eight years of professional experience in reporting and storytelling. He is known for conducting incisive interviews and producing compelling human-angle stories that bring clarity and depth to the news. Tosin covers a broad range of beats including politics, health, advocacy, sports, and entertainment, with a strong focus on people-centred reporting. His work reflects firsthand newsroom experience, editorial insight, and a commitment to accurate, engaging, and trustworthy journalism.
