Paris Saint-Germain confirmed their status as Europe's dominant force by beating Aston Villa 2-1 in the Uefa Super Cup in Salzburg, with Désiré Doué's second-half strike proving decisive in an entertaining contest at the Red Bull Arena.
The result means Luis Enrique's side have now retained the trophy, becoming only the third club in the competition's history to do so back-to-back, following AC Milan in 1990 and Real Madrid in 2017. It caps a remarkable few months for PSG, who lifted the Champions League in Munich before adding this latest piece of silverware.
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, fresh from a summer off following his lack of World Cup involvement, gave PSG the lead after 20 minutes with a moment of individual quality, cutting inside past Matty Cash before firing past goalkeeper Marco Bizot. It was one of several dangerous incursions from the Georgian, who also set up a glorious chance for Nuno Mendes that went unconverted.
Villa, however, refused to be overawed by their star-studded opponents and found an equaliser through a name that will be new to many observers outside England. Brian Madjo, just 17 and making his full debut for the club after a lengthy saga over his eligibility following a January move from Metz, became the youngest goalscorer in Super Cup history when he volleyed home a John McGinn cross right on the stroke of half-time. It was reward for persistence: the towering forward had already gone close three times, twice heading wide and once seeing an effort cannon back off the post.
Unai Emery's side, weakened by the sales of Morgan Rogers and Youri Tielemans and missing World Cup trio Ollie Watkins, Ezri Konsa and Emiliano Martínez, matched PSG for spells of the contest and looked capable of pushing the game to penalties. But PSG restored their advantage just after the hour mark when Ousmane Dembélé, introduced at half-time, played a ball over the top for Doué to run onto. The 20-year-old cut inside and finished coolly past Bizot. The goal was initially flagged offside, but a VAR review overturned the decision, showing Cash had inadvertently played Doué onside.
Villa continued to search for a leveller. Warren Zaïre-Emery produced a crucial sliding challenge to deny João Gomes what looked a certain goal, while Safonov kept out a close-range effort from George Hemmings, who impressed on the night against Achraf Hakimi. In stoppage time, Emi Buendía headed narrowly wide as Villa pushed for an equaliser that never arrived.
The match also carried historical significance off the pitch, with Somali official Omar Artan becoming the first non-European referee to take charge of the fixture, having been denied entry to the United States to officiate at the World Cup earlier in the year.
Despite the defeat, Emery struck an optimistic tone about his side's prospects following the euphoria of their Europa League triumph over Freiburg in May, which ended a 30-year wait for a trophy. "Overall we can feel proud of everything we've done," he said. "Some changes will be needed but we are confident." Villa are already moving in the transfer market, with a deal for Bayern Munich's João Palhinha in advanced stages and Atlético Madrid full-back Matteo Ruggeri set for a medical.
For PSG, attention now turns to defending their European crown, with a potential three-peat in the Champions League final in Madrid next May the next target on Luis Enrique's relentless list of ambitions.
Based on reporting from Guardian Football, Independent Football and BBC Sport.