Tottenham were beaten to the UEFA Super Cup as Nuno Mendes sealed a penalty shoot-out win for Paris Saint-Germain after Spurs’ late collapse when holding a 2-0 lead in the 85th minute in Udine.
Set-piece goals from Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero either side of half-time had looked set to give Thomas Frank a dream start in his first competitive game at the helm, with Spurs keeping the Champions League winners at bay for almost all of the game in Italy.
But as Frank’s side tired while PSG were rejuvenated by the introduction of Fabian Ruiz in particular, their defence was finally breached with five minutes to go as fellow substitute Kang-In Lee rifled in a comeback goal from the edge of the box.
It looked as though Tottenham would still be able to hold on for a second trophy in less than three months until Goncalo Ramos’ 94th-minute stooping header sent the game to the lottery of penalties.
True to form, they even took the lead in the shoot-out after Vitinha missed PSG’s first kick, but once Van de Ven and Tel both failed to score from 12 yards, Mendes stepped up to cement their heartbreak as the French champions bounced back from their Club World Cup final defeat by the barest of margins.
More to follow…
What’s next?
Tottenham begin their Premier League campaign by hosting newly promoted Burnley on Saturday, kick-off 3pm. PSG visit Nantes in their opening Ligue 1 game on Sunday, kick-off 7.45pm.