Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Desire Doue scored the goals as Paris Saint-Germain held off a shorthanded but game Aston Villa to win the UEFA Super Cup 2-1 at Red Bull Salzburg Arena in Austria on Wednesday.
Unai Emery led his Aston Villa against former club PSG on Wednesday as the Europa League champions looked to trip up the Champions League winners, but could not keep Luis Enrique’s men from another bit of silverware.
MORE — UEFA Super Cup scores, all-time winners
Teenage striker Brian Madjo scored for Villa in the first half, as the team without Ollie Watkins, Emiliano Martinez, Ezri Konsa, and Amadou Onana — after selling Morgan Rogers and Youri Tielemans this summer — produced a battling display and were in the game until the very final whistle.
But PSG had too much talent as Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembele came off the bench to set up Doue’s winner and World Cup winner Fabian Ruiz sidled up to the bar to solidify the final few minutes.
PSG won the 2025 Super Cup after a thrilling 120 minutes with Spurs finished 2-2 and Les Parisiens triumphed 4-3 in penalties in front of 21,000 fans in Udine, Italy.
Aston Villa lose cup but win admirers, hope
When the lineups were released about 75 minutes before kickoff, this looked like a game that could end with a crooked number on PSG’s side of the scoreboard and a zero the other way. Plenty of players who starred in Champions League finals and the World Cup were lined up against a Villa team missing a half-dozen big names from their Europa League win. And, yes, by now we shouldn’t discount any Unai Emery team because of his tactical acumen and game-planning masterclass skill, but for this game to be 1-1 with a 17-year-old striker making his debut and second-choice players in goal and in the back line? Honestly, Villa need to leave this game feeling like their plan to become a top-four (or top-five) fixture is alive as long as Emery is at the wheel.
PSG vs Aston Villa final score: 2-1
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia 20', Brian Madjo 45', Desire Doue 61'
Dembele and Ruiz came off the bench for PSG while shorthanded Villa had less elite options.
It’s a win for both teams, in a sense, though PSG claim more silverware under Luis Enrique.
This really has turned into some game but Villa have to do so much work to create their chances so every possession that ends back with PSG feels like a huge blow.
2-1 into five minutes of stoppage time.
This has really turned into a decent affair, as PSG have looked the more likely to score the next goal but Villa are doing enough to stay in the game.
Tammy Abraham led an impressive counter with about 10 minutes to play but the Villans couldn’t get a man on the end of the final cross.
Desire Doue scores and the flag goes up but was he offside?
Replays are showing that it’s very, very close and that Doue’s speed provided so much space behind the line that it appeared he must’ve started early to reach Ousmane Dembele’s through ball.
He did not, however, and his finish really was spectacular as he curled a left-footed strike around Bizot and inside the far post.
Beautiful finish from Désiré Doué 😍
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) August 12, 2026
The French winger puts PSG 2-1 up vs. Aston Villa after a VAR check for offside 🇫🇷
Stream PSG vs. Aston Villa in the UEFA Super Cup on @paramountplus 📺 pic.twitter.com/OX7LHheopl
A through ball releases Madjo up the middle and he lays it out wide for McGinn.
The Scottish midfielder creates a half-yard of space and forces Safonov into a solid save.
1-1, 50'.
Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembele replaces Akliouche at the break.
He’s been the story of the first half, and he’s rightly on the score sheet.
Huge teen Brian Madjo, just 17, has had 4-5 chances to make amends for his error on PSG’s goal, and he finally makes it work.
A huge cross to the back post sees Madjo hold off his mark to let the ball reach his front foot and smash into the upper reaches of the PSG goal.
Madjo really looks the part!
Madjo helps win a duel and George Hemmings, the elder of the teens at 19, flies down the left side and into the box.
He stumbles just a bit as he’s setting to shoot, but tracks the ball down on the end line to feed Madjo, whose shot cannot find its way inside the far post.
English-Luxembourger teenager Brian Madjo made a mistake on the PSG goal but nearly makes it amends as he rises high and nearly turns a header inside the post.
The 17-year-old Madjo looks big and plays strong. Can he help his team back to level terms? We’re not 30 minutes into the match.
It’s still just 1-0 but PSG have found rhythm and swagger.
They are zipping around the pitch, and Nuno Mendes flies up the left side to send an invitation to teammates which is absent receiver.
1-0, 27'.
PSG had forced a save out of Bizot, but the keeper can’t replicate the feat.
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia slams a near-post shot into the upper 90 from 16 yards or so, fooling Bizot who was cheating toward the far side.
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is BACK like he never left 🔥
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) August 12, 2026
The Georgian superstar with a golazo to give PSG the lead vs. Aston Villa in the UEFA Super Cup 💥
Stream PSG vs. Aston Villa in the UEFA Super Cup on @paramountplus 📺 pic.twitter.com/kL3HUucA8e
Active pressing and good spacing from Villa have slowed PSG’s build-up , but Les Parisiens are keeping the ball.
The approach is wise being so, so early in the season — loose touches are opening up counter attacking chances.
Clad in white, the Villans win a free kick inside of two minutes and wind up sending in a couple of dangerous balls against the favorites.
PSG are wearng bright blue kits with a thick red stripe down the center flanked by two thinner white stripes.
0-0, 5'.
Respectfully to Villa, they just went from significant underdogs to massive ones.
PSG has almost all of their big dogs on the pitch, while those who are not starting — Ousmane Dembele, Bradley Barcola, and Fabian Ruiz among them — can feature off the bench.
Emery is without several stars who have left town, a few more who are rumored to possibly leave, and long-term injured Amadou Onana. The bench is thin.
Starting XI
Safonov
Hakimi
Marquinhos
Pacho
Mendes
Neves
Vitinha
Zaire-Emery
Akliouche
Doue
Kvaratskhelia
Starting XI
Bizot
Cash
Lindelof
Torres
Maatsen
Kamara
Gomes
McGinn
Hemmings
Buendia
Madjo
Subs
Wright
Asemota
Mings
Barkley
Abraham
Bogarde
Nedeljkovic
Alysson
Cisse
Rowe
Burrowes
Lynch
As crazy as it sounds, Villa can move itself a good deal closer to its season goals starting tonight in Austria.
Beating PSG to a trophy of any meaning would send a signal to Europe as they begin life without Youri Tielemans and Morgan Rogers, but it would also be a signpost on a season’s journey — Emery’s men can seal silverware.
Villa need to hang around the European picture while delivering a competitive Champions League league phase and see where that has them in January.
Like Spurs for the better part of the last decade, a good part of the fight to seal status as a Premier League destination and contender is competing at a high level despite turnover and challenges.
Transfer targets? Sure, but Emery says that the reason he won’t be starting Ollie Watkins, Ezri Konsa, and Emi Martínez is that they were given an extra week to recover after their prolonged World Cups.
“They are not here because they finished their season on 19 July and I gave them four weeks to rest, it’s completely necessary,” said Emery, via Villa’s site.
“Of course, if they were here, maybe we could have more chances. But, at the same time, I think PSG are going to be in the same situation like us. And tomorrow I expect to compete and try to face them with our capacity and our possibilities as well to beat them. Of course, they are favorites.”
Kick off time: 3 pm ET Wednesday August 12
Venue: Red Bull Arena Salzburg — Salzburg, Austria
TV channel: CBS Sports Network
Streaming: Paramount+
Some big, big names have left Villa Park this summer, as Morgan Rogers went to Chelsea and Youri Tielemans headed to Manchester United.
As mentioned in the PSG section, Lucas Digne has moved to Paris while Donyell Malen is with AS Roma.
Villa won the race to sign Swiss midfielder Yohan Manzambi and also added Wolves’ Joao Gomes and LASK Linz’s Modou Keba Cisse. Alejandro Garnacho now has a third PL home as he’s arrived from Chelsea.
There have been questions about transfer interest in Ollie Watkins, Ezri Konsa, and Emiliano Martinez, while Amadou Onana suffered a long-term injury at the World Cup and could prove to be the biggest absence.
The World Cup’s final four teams featured a handful of PSG stars in Spain midfielder Fabian Ruiz and France national teamers Ousmane Dembele, Bradley Barcola, Desire Doue, Warren Zaire-Emery, and Lucas Hernandez.
They’re all back with Les Parisiens as of Monday, though there’s certainly no guarantee any of them with be ready to feature against Villa.
PSG is expected to land Ferran Torres from Barcelona in the coming days, but some new faces are already with the club including Aston Villa transfer Lucas Digne and highly-touted Monaco man Maghnes Akliouche.
Goncalo Ramos has moved to AC Milan, Randal Kolo Muani to Juventus, and Kang-in Lee to Atletico Madrid.
Premier League teams have won three of the last seven UEFA Super Cups as Liverpool beat Chelsea in 2019, Chelsea topped Villarreal in 2021, and Manchester City edged Sevilla in 2023.
Nine of the last 13 Super Cup matches went to penalties.
