On Wednesday, PSG justified their role as favourites in the UEFA Super Cup and defeated Aston Villa 2-1. On Sunday, they had a chance for the fourth consecutive trophy since May, and this one looked like the easiest one – against Lens. The French team finished last season as the second in Ligue 1 but lost some key players and changed coach, so PSG was a huge favorite. Yet, Luis Enrique’s men missed too many chances and didn’t even use the fact that Lens was reduced to 10 man after 39 minutes. The host were led by fantastic fans in the sellout stadium and won 1-0.
Former Newcastle and Marseille forward Florian Thauvin scored the only goal of the match in the half and won the French Super Cup for the first time in history. The Parisians won four in a row and 14 in total, but Lens used their second-only appearance very well. The last time the hosts were in the final was back in 1998, and they were defeated by…PSG. European champions created enough chances to score, but simply couldn’t put the ball into the net, even with one man more on the field. Ousmane Dembele had a chance of the game but missed an open goal in the 80th minute. But Lens should be credited too, for using their only chance of the game, for playing disciplined, with passion and for defending well for almost an hour with 10 men against a much superior opponent.
The first half started as expected, with a total PSG offensive. The first (and surprisingly the only) real chance for the Parisians came after eight minutes, when Doue found Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, who took a good shot, but Lens keeper Risser made the necessary save. The guests pushed, but the hosts stood their ground, and for the next 20 minutes nothing happened. And then two shocks in a short period. Udol’s shot was too wide in the 32nd minute and turned into a cross for Thauvin, who was unmarked at the far post and finished with an unstoppable right-footed shot for a surprise lead.
The stadium erupted with joy only to erupt in anger five minutes later. Len’s defender Kyllian Antonio, who had a perfect game by then, was a bit late and made a nasty tackle on Akliouche. The referee didn’t hesitate, and the hosts were reduced to 10 men. Doue tried from a tight angle in injury time and somehow managed to hit the crossbar. The second half was not as exciting as the first one, especially during the first 20 minutes, when all we saw was a long shot apiece from each team. Ballon d’Or winner Dembele was introduced in the 60th minute, and he made the only first shot on target for PSG in the second half. It was the 73rd minute when he picked up speed to cut inside before unleashing a powerful shot towards the near post, but Risser was there to prevent the equalizer.
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Lenskeeper did the same minutes later, but this time it was Doue who took a shot. Dembele missed the chance of the match in the 80th minute when he somehow managed not to put the ball into an empty net from close range. Lens focused on defending with 10 men and didn’t create many opportunities throughout the match, but PSG players got frustrated, and Nuno Mendes got a red card for it. A gesture of frustration from the Portuguese player towards Skoras, an elbow strike to the face, and he was off. Lens managed to score in the 89th minute, but the goal was disallowed because the referee hadn’t allowed the advantage after a foul by Ruiz, who received a yellow card.