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Paris Saint-Germain ended a banner year on a high as they defeated CF Flamengo 2-1 in a penalty shootout to win the FIFA Intercontinental Cup™ after a 1-1 draw in regulation. It has been an incredible 2025 for Luis Enrique's men, who won a treble in the 2024/25 season, including their first UEFA Champions League title.
In Qatar, Flamengo fought back to secure a 1-1 draw with the game going to penalties, where PSG's Russian stopper Matvei Safonov was the hero.
Paris Saint-Germain 1-1 CR Flamengo (2-1 PSO)
Paris Saint-Germain goal: Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (38)
Flamengo goal: Jorginho pen (62)
Player of the Match: Matvei Safonov (Paris Saint-Germain)
A day before Qatar’s National Day, a PSG-leaning crowd at a sold-out Ahmad bin Ali Stadium witnessed the European champions take down Flamengo on penalties to win the FIFA Intercontinental Cup™.
Russian goalkeeper Matvei Safonov emerged as the match-winner as he saved four consecutive spot kicks to hand PSG a 2-1 victory in the shootout.
Much pre-match attention had focused on whether recently crowned The Best FIFA Men’s Player award winner Ousmane Dembele would be fit to start. Ultimately he began on the bench, as did Lucas Chevalier for a fourth straight match with Safonov again preferred in the PSG goal.
It was Flamengo shot-stopper Agustin Rossi, though, who would play a key part in the contest’s early flashpoints. Firstly a mishandled ball allowed Fabian Ruiz to sneak in for what he thought was a ninth-minute opener, only for VAR to rule the goal out as Rossi had carried it over the byline.
There was no such reprieve half an hour later as the Argentinian keeper parried a teasing Desire Doue cross straight to the feet of a grateful Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, who tucked home from close range to send PSG to the break with a one-goal advantage.
It was an advantage that evaporated just after the hour. PSG had been leaving pockets of space in the right of their backline and it was from there that a covering Marquinhos clipped Giorgian de Arrascaeta with the referee awarding a penalty after a VAR review.
Jorginho has a fine record from the spot and a stuttering run-up sent Safonov the wrong way to make it 1-1.
Dembele entered the contest with 12 regulation minutes remaining but it was the unlikely figure of Marquinhos that had the best chance to win it. The ball falling to the central defender inside the six-yard box only for him to slice it wide to send the match to extra-time.
There, both teams swung but failed to land a killer blow. Flamengo substitute Luiz Araujo snatching at a chance and Dembele scooping one wide from close range as penalty kicks were required to separate the teams. Flamengo converted their first spot kick, and Safonov was not beaten thereafter to ensure PSG's glorious year ended on the highest of notes.
What they said...
"We're proud of ourselves, we played a very, very good match, a very good final, against a good team that played with a lot of intensity. I hope we can continue like this throughout the season. This team has a lot of character, we're showing that we're a team, a collective. That's what the coach wanted when he arrived here. He's always emphasised that to us: the collective comes first. It shows our strength, the kind of team we are."
Warren Zaire-Emery, PSG midfielder
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