Paris Saint-Germain's thrilling victory in the Super Cup! Grand Slam? There's still a long way to go!

Written by Han Bing Despite losing the Club World Cup final a month ago, Enrique still announced the Grand Slam goal for the new season at the pre-match press conference for the Super Cup. On the evening of August 13, during the Super Cup in Udine, PSG made a dramatic comeback after being two goals down in the 85th minute, ultimately winning the trophy despite missing a penalty in the shootout—yet Enrique admitted that this PSG team did not deserve the Super Cup. The path to a Grand Slam is long and challenging.

Unlike Tottenham, who played five warm-up matches during a six-week training camp, PSG only began their training on August 6 after reaching the Club World Cup final, giving them just one week to prepare for the Super Cup, the shortest preparation time in the history of the competition. According to pre-match calculations by the OPTA supercomputer, PSG had a 62.4% chance of winning in regular time, with a draw at just 19.3%. In the last 12 editions of the Super Cup, the Champions League winners have won 11 times, with the only exception being Atletico Madrid, who defeated Real Madrid 4-2 in 2018. PSG fans responded positively, selling all 6,000 tickets allocated by UEFA, setting a historical record for the Super Cup.

In this Super Cup appearance, PSG carried the mission of winning their first trophy in club history and representing Ligue 1. Previously, Paris Saint-Germain was the only Ligue 1 team to participate in the Super Cup. In early 1997, PSG trained in Madagascar under 30-degree heat due to commercial partnerships, before returning to the freezing 4 degrees Celsius at the Parc des Princes to prepare for the first leg, ultimately suffering a 1-6 defeat against Champions League winners Juventus. In the second leg in Palermo, Italy, they lost again, 1-3. Unlike 28 years ago, this time Paris Saint-Germain faced a challenge in 35-degree heat.

In their two Super Cup appearances, the internal environment of Paris Saint-Germain has been similar. Before the 1997 Super Cup, the team learned they would lose their talented forward Anelka, who was set to join Arsenal. This time, they lost last season's quadruple-winning goalkeeper Donnarumma. The Italian goalkeeper announced his departure before the match, but summer signing goalkeeper Chevalier rose to the occasion, saving a penalty from Van de Ven and winning a trophy in his debut for PSG. This historically expensive French goalkeeper has already proven his worth (40 million + 15 million euros).

However, other key players of PSG were not as fortunate, as Tottenham dominated the first 70 minutes of the match. In the 39th minute, Tottenham goalkeeper Vicario took a free kick, and Palhinha's shot was saved by Chevalier, only for Van de Ven to score from the rebound. In the 48th minute, Chevalier again saved a header from Romero but could not prevent the ball from hitting the net. PSG found themselves 0-2 down within 50 minutes, and it was the first time since last September's Champions League home game against Girona that they had zero shots on target in the first half.

After the 60th minute, Enrique gradually substituted off underperforming key players like Kvaratskhelia, Barcola, Emery, and Doue. In the last 10 minutes of the match, taking advantage of Tottenham's declining stamina, substitutes Lee Kang-in and Gonçalo Ramos scored in succession, bringing the match to a penalty shootout. Although Vitinha missed the first penalty, Chevalier saved Van de Ven's attempt, and Tottenham's Terl also missed with another miss, allowing Nuno Mendes to secure PSG's fifth trophy of the year.

Winning the Super Cup brought PSG a prize of 5 million euros, but more importantly, it marked the first time in their history that a Ligue 1 team has won the Super Cup. Since the Super Cup's establishment in 1973, Ligue 1 teams have only participated twice, and this victory filled the last trophy gap for French football in European competitions. PSG made Ligue 1 the 13th league to have a Super Cup champion, the first new league to produce a Super Cup champion since Germany (Bayern) in 2013. PSG also became the 26th champion in Super Cup history and the 30th team to win the Super Cup after winning the Champions League. Originally, 1993 Champions League winners Marseille were eligible to participate, but they were replaced by AC Milan due to a match-fixing scandal. This victory also allowed PSG to surpass their arch-rival Marseille once again.

Enrique, having led Barcelona to five trophies in 2015, achieved this feat again in the same calendar year. By the end of the year, PSG will also participate in the FIFA Club World Cup, potentially winning their sixth trophy. After the match, Dembélé, who assisted Gonçalo Ramos in equalizing, was named Man of the Match. Since last season, he has been involved in 50 goals for PSG (35 goals, 15 assists), and PSG's historic first Super Cup win will also boost Dembélé's chances for the Ballon d'Or next month.

Tottenham, plagued by injuries, gave their all: the team was missing midfield core Maddison and Kulusevski due to serious knee injuries, as well as key players like Dragusin, Solomon, and Bryan Hill. Bissouma was excluded from the squad due to multiple tardiness. Additionally, Son Heung-min's departure and the recent 0-4 defeat to Bayern in the Telecom Cup demonstrated the significant impact. Although summer signings Kudus and Palhinha performed well, and defenders Van de Ven and Romero scored, it was still not enough to withstand the Champions League winners. However, new coach Frank's three-back attacking football left a bright impression.

The day after the 55th anniversary of Paris Saint-Germain's founding, the Super Cup became the best gift for the team. But as Enrique stated after the match, on August 17, just three days later, PSG must immediately begin the new Ligue 1 season. The team needs to maintain the peak form of last season's quadruple winners and create a new dynasty, with much work still ahead.