Paris Saint-Germain retains UEFA Super Cup as Doué goal seals 2-1 win over Aston Villa
Paris Saint-Germain won the UEFA Super Cup for a second straight year by beating Aston Villa 2-1 on Wednesday thanks to Désiré Doué’s second-half goal in the annual curtain-raiser to the European soccer season.
Doué’s 61st-minute strike after running onto Ousmane Dembélé's pass was initially ruled out for offside, only for the goal to be awarded following a video review.
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s powerfully struck opener in the 20th was canceled out by a volley from Brian Madjo, a 17-year-old striker making his competitive debut for Villa days after getting approval to play following a dispute with FIFA over his registration.
It’s the first of a possible six trophies this season for PSG, which became the first team to win back-to-back Super Cup titles since Real Madrid (2016 and ’17).
The Super Cup is an annual early-season match between the most recent winners of the Champions League (PSG) and Europa League (Villa).
The game in Salzburg, Austria, was refereed by Omar Artan, the Somali who was barred by the United States from officiating at the World Cup days before the start of FIFA’s tournament because of vetting concerns. U.S. officials claimed Artan had connections to terror organizations, though without providing proof.
UEFA responded by picking Artan — a referee judged the best in Africa last season — to take charge of the Super Cup in a powerplay by European soccer’s governing body amid its increasing disconnect with FIFA.
That disharmony has increased since, with UEFA leading the campaign to oust Gianni Infantino from the FIFA presidency over his recent — aborted — plan to sell an interest in the World Cup.
Artan was the first non-European referee to take charge of the Super Cup.
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