Paris Saint-Germain secured their 13th French Super Cup title on Sunday by narrowly defeating AS Monaco 1-0 at Stadium 974 in Qatar. This victory marked their third straight Trophée des Champions win, solidifying their dominance over Lyon, who have accumulated eight titles.
In the preceding two editions, PSG triumphed over Nantes and Toulouse, while Monaco, despite being four-time winners, last claimed the Super Cup in 2000. Monaco reached the finals in 2017 and 2018 but fell short both times against PSG.
The match was initially set to be held in Beijing, China on August 8, 2024, but the Ligue de Football Professionnel decided to postpone it. Later in the year, the LFP announced that the game would be played at the renowned container stadium in Qatar, Stadium 974.
PSG have little time to bask in their success as they are slated to return to league action next Sunday to face St Etienne. AS Monaco, on the other hand, will travel to Nantes on Friday, in what is expected to be a less challenging match for them.
Currently, PSG lead the Ligue 1 table with 40 points, enjoying a 7-point cushion over second-placed Marseille. They remain unbeaten this season, boasting twelve wins and four draws.
Match Summary
Monaco entered the match with high spirits, eager to avenge their 4-2 defeat to PSG last December. However, PSG quickly took command, applying pressure and keeping the play predominantly in Monaco’s half.
New signing Desire Doue almost gave PSG an early lead in the ninth minute but his attempt struck the post. Later in the first half, South Korean star Lee Kang-In launched a powerful shot from long range, only to be thwarted by Monaco goalkeeper Philipp Koehn.
Monaco had a few challenging opportunities with Maghnes Akliouche and Takumi Minamino testing Gianluigi Donnarumma, who had just come back to PSG after recovering from a facial injury. Despite his recent return, Donnarumma showed strong form, ensuring his goal remained untouched.
The first half concluded with no changes to the score, although PSG clearly had the upper hand in momentum. The second half followed a similar pattern, with PSG continuously pressing and coming near to scoring but unable to get past Koehn.
Achraf Hakimi had perhaps the best chance of the match with 15 minutes left, but his close-range effort was denied by the goalkeeper. Just when it seemed the game was heading towards a goalless draw, there was finally some excitement as time was running out.
Two minutes into stoppage time, PSG finally broke through. Dembele scored inside the far post, courtesy of a precise pass from Fabian Ruiz, ensuring the match didn’t go to penalties. This late goal secured a 1-0 victory for PSG, further cementing their dominance in the French League.
Despite controlling the game thoroughly, PSG only managed a single goal. Before Dembele’s decisive strike, PSG had attempted 27 shots, with 9 on target, yet they could not break the tie until stoppage time.
PSG had a significant edge in corners, earning 13 compared to Monaco’s 2, and also maintained possession for 60% of the match.
Lineups
PSG: Donnarumma, Pacho, Mendes, Marquinhos, Hakimi, Due (Ramush, 72), Neves (Ruiz, 67), Kanu (Barcolya, 67), Zaïre-Emery (Mayulu, 88), Vitinha, Dembélé
Coach- Luis Enrique
Monaco: Kohn, Vanderson (Teze, 86), Salisu, Enrique, Kehrer, Golovin (Kamara, 72), Ben-Segir, Aklush (Magassa, 86), Zakaria, Minamino, Ilenikhena (Embolo, 72)
Coach- Adi Hütter
