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Paris Saint-Germain secured a narrow 1-0 victory over AS Monaco in the French Super Cup on Sunday evening, thanks to a stoppage-time goal from forward Ousmane Dembélé. This triumph meant PSG’s third consecutive French Super Cup title and their 11th in the last 12 years.
The match, played at Doha’s innovative Stadium 974, was a lively and keenly contested encounter with numerous scoring opportunities. PSG dominated the game, creating 27 chances, including nine on target. However, they struggled to break the deadlock until Dembélé’s decisive goal in the 92nd minute.
Summer signing Désiré Doué came close to giving PSG the lead in the ninth minute, but his effort hit the bar. Lee Kang-In was also denied by Monaco goalkeeper Philipp Köhn with a long-range effort in first-half stoppage time. Dembélé and Vitinha tested Köhn in the opening 45 minutes, while Monaco’s Maghnes Akliouche and Takumi Minamino forced returning PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma into making a couple of saves.
Donnarumma, who returned to the side after recovering from a face injury, was reliable in goal, making crucial stops to deny Monaco’s attacking threats. PSG’s defense, marshaled by Marquinhos and Sergio Ramos, was also solid, limiting Monaco’s scoring opportunities.
The first half ended goalless, a rare occurrence in the French Super Cup. This was the first time since 2010 that no goals were scored in the first half of a French Super Cup match. PSG’s persistence eventually paid off when Fabián Ruiz fed Dembélé with a neat pass across the face of the goal, allowing him to seal the win with a precise finish inside the far post.
This victory marked PSG’s 11th French Super Cup title, solidifying their dominance in French football. Monaco, four-time winners of the trophy, last lifted it in 2000. PSG will return to league action next Sunday when they host St Etienne, while Monaco visit Nantes on Friday.
The win was a welcome boost for PSG, who have been in impressive form this season. Dembélé’s goal was his second in as many games, having scored a brace in PSG’s 4-2 win over Monaco last month in Ligue 1.
