Matvey Safonov was the main character in the dramatic final as his save after save in the penalty shootout helped Paris Saint-Germain beat Flamengo 5-1 in Qatar and claim the club’s first Intercontinental Cup after they finished 1-1 at full time.
Safonov was the choice in goal ahead of Lucas Chevalier, and it turned out that the young shot-stopper was absolutely key as he only let in one spot-kick by the visitors while stopping four, and, therefore, he played the main role in PSG winning their first-ever global title. Only last July, PSG were at the Club World Cup final, and now they have made their next step to the top level of world football.
PSG initially committed their dominance to the scoreboard and had Fabian Ruiz get their name on the list before 10 minutes had gone, but VAR intervened after spotting the ball had left the field of play in the action that led to the goal. They were the first to find the net in the end, and that moment came from the lightning-quick Kvaratskhelia, who, after first retrieving the ball from disposal and then after the goalkeeper had parried the shot slightly, sneaked around to score the rebound.
Flamengo were right back in it after 59 minutes when the referee pointed to the penalty spot because Marquinhos had been deemed to have fouled Arrascaeta and Jorginho with great composure and skill coolly summoned the net from the easy spot. PSG, although, had a go at it with more firepower after the introduction of Dembélé, but the final score remained unchanged at the end of 90 minutes, which were followed by extra time.
Safonov’s magic was in full swing in the shootout, saving the flames coming from Saúl, Pedro, Léo Pereira, and Luiz Araújo to the delight of the PSG supporters. The hugely successful year of 2025 was capped off with the French club achieving the unprecedented feat of becoming the first from France ever to win the Intercontinental Cup as well as winning six titles in total.
