Chevalier guides PSG past Marseille to fourth straight French Super Cup

KUWAIT: Goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier remained a star as Paris Saint-Germain clinched its fourth consecutive French Super Cup title, beating rivals Olympique de Marseille 4-1 in a penalty shootout after a dramatic 2-2 Trophee des Champions draw here at Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium on Thursday.

After an early goal from Ousmane Dembele, who had previously scored the game-winning goal in last season's 1-0 final triumph against AS Monaco in Doha, PSG appeared to be cruising to victory.

But Marseille turned the tide of the match by shocking the French champions with two late goals. Marseille took an unexpected lead thanks to a penalty kick from Mason Greenwood and an own goal from Willian Pacho.

Goncalo Ramos' equaliser in the closing seconds of the match sent the game to penalties, but PSG refused to be defeated and launched a barrage of assaults.

In the shootout, Chevalier proved to be the crucial player, stopping spot-kicks from Hamed Traore and Matt O'Riley.

PSG won thanks to goals from Ramos, Vitinha, Nuno Mendes, and Desire Doue.

Record 14-time winners PSG, who faced last season's Ligue 1 runners-up Marseille after the Parisians had won both the league and the French Cup, won the competition for the 12th time in the last 13 years.

Luis Enrique emphasised that PSG's victory came from strong preparation, resilience, and seizing key moments, even without playing their best throughout.

"Luck sometimes plays its part, but the most important thing is that we prepare our goalkeepers for penalties... Our keeper had a fantastic game," PSG coach Luis Enrique said.

"You don't always have to be at your best to win. That's what happened today; we didn't maintain our top level for the entire match, but we won... We showed our ability to fight back, even in the final minute," he added.