Tottenham Hotspur squandered a two-goal lead in the UEFA Super Cup and ended up losing on penalties. The game, between the teams that won the Champions League and Europa League at the end of last season, took place in the relatively low-key surrounds of the Stadio Friuli in Udine. The home of Serie A side Udinese, it holds just over 25,000 fans and was far from full, with an attendance of 21,000 for what is essentially a heavily glorified friendly.
Silverware-starved Spurs supporters may feel it was a missed chance to add to their trophy collection, not least because for much of the game it looked like they would win. However, PSG, who lost in the FIFA Club World Cup final to Chelsea earlier in the summer, are a class act, and they fought back to force a penalty shootout, before triumphing from 12 yards.
New Manager, Same Old Spursy Performance
Despite leading Tottenham to their first major piece of silverware since the League Cup in 2008, and simultaneously earning qualification for the 2025/26 Champions League, Ange Postecoglou’s services were dispensed with. They brought in the seemingly more pragmatic Thomas Frank, from Brentford, but if the outcome of the game in Italy is anything to go by, they are, to some degree at least, the same old Spurs.
Arsenal fans and other detractors might well ask, what could be more Spursy than being 2-0 up in the 85th minute, only to go on and lose? In fact, there were a lot of positives to take for Frank and Tottenham fans. That said, it was also rather typical of the north London giants to then take the lead in the penalty shootout and yet still contrive to be beaten.
Spurs Pegged Back
It was not the most exciting of games in Udine but Spurs fans will have not cared about that in the slightest when their side went 2-0 up shortly into the second half. Both of their goals came from central defenders, with Spurs playing three at the back, though it was frequently a five as Paris St-Germain dominated the ball.
The champions of Europe, appearing in their second Super Cup (it was Tottenham’s first), had 74% of the ball but did not do a huge amount with it. Indeed, they had just three shots on target in the whole game, compared to five from Spurs, who also hit the woodwork. Despite having just 26% possession, Frank’s men had almost as many touches in their opponent’s box too (21 to 23 for PSG).
The only stat that matters, really, is goals though, and after 39 minutes Mickey Van de Ven gave the English side the lead. It was a scrappy goal that came from a long freekick forward from Spurs keeper Guglielmo Vicario. The ball fell kindly for Joao Palhinha and PSG’s new first-choice goalie, Frenchman Lucas Chevalier, could only tip the Portuguese midfielder’s effort onto the bar. It rebounded to Van de Ven and the 24 year old was left with a tap in.
After just three minutes of the second half Spurs seemingly had the game won, as they went 2-0 up. Another freekick from distance found Christian Romero in acres of space and his header crept under Chevalier, who really should have done better. It was a well-worked routine, with the new Spurs skipper peeling off to the far post, but Luis Enrique will not be happy with the ease with which the Tottenham man found space, nor his own goalie’s attempt at keeping out Romero’s downward header. PSG did not create all that much, though they rightly had a goal chalked off for offside. Tottenham defended well, throwing bodies on the line as the game wore on and in the second half their opponents had 78% of the ball.
All three of Paris’s shots on target came in the second 45 and while it would be an overstatement to say they sparked into life after going two down, they certainly improved. When the goal came it was simply an exceptional strike, from around 20 yards, from Lee Kang-In. With five minutes remaining the pre-match favourites had hope restored, and with time running out, Ousmane Dembele fired in a cross that sub Goncalo Ramos was able to glance into the net to make it 2-2. The goal came in the 94th minute and some would argue it had been coming, with Tottenham well and truly pegged back. A couple of minutes later the ref blew for full time and the match would head straight to penalties.
Penalties See PSG Prevail
PSG BEAT SPURS TO WIN THE UEFA SUPER CUP
Make that trophies this year pic.twitter.com/nQz4ZTeNP5
— B/R Football (@brfootball) August 13, 2025
Dominic Solanke took the first penalty and scored, putting the early pressure onto Vitinha. The brilliant midfielder took a bizarre, walking approach to the ball, before stuttering. And while that served to distract the keeper, who dived, the PSG man may have fooled himself too. He put the ball the other way but saw it go wide, giving Tottenham the advantage.
The next two kicks were scored but then Van de Ven allowed PSG back into the game, his effort being saved by Chevalier, down to his left. Dembele made no mistake but then Spurs’ attacker, Mathys Tel most certainly did. He too opted for the stuttering run-up and he too put his penalty wide.
That left Portuguese full back Nuno Mendes with the chance to win it for his side and he made no mistake. The exceptional defender’s kick was unsavable, his left-footed effort hit hard, high and into the net. PSG will feel they did enough to deserve the win but Spurs will certainly be desperately disappointed with the way it ended after they had kept their opponents out for so long.
PSG Earn First Win
In what could prove to be a golden era for PSG, they claimed their first Super Cup title, just months after their first Champions League. Back in 1996, when this cup was contested over two legs, Juventus hammered them 9-2.
This win means they are now one of 15 clubs to have won this competition once. Their next task is to qualify for the Super Cup again, and join the likes of Chelsea and Bayern Munich in winning it twice. Just another four after that and they’ll be level with the record-winners of this competition who are – of course – Real Madrid.