Aston Villa suffered UEFA Super Cup heartbreak as Paris Saint-Germain claimed a 2-1 victory in Salzburg despite Brian Madjo writing his name into the competition’s history books.
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia opened the scoring for the Champions League holders before 17-year-old Madjo produced a memorable equaliser on the stroke of half-time.
Désiré Doué restored PSG’s advantage after the break and Unai Emery’s side could not find a second response, leaving Villa to settle for runners-up medals after a spirited performance against the European champions.
PSG 2-1 Aston Villa after Madjo makes history
PSG struck first after 20 minutes through Kvaratskhelia, who drove forward before producing a powerful finish to put Luis Enrique’s side ahead.
Villa refused to allow the early setback to knock them out of the contest.
Their response arrived on 45 minutes when Madjo converted from John McGinn’s delivery to make it 1-1 and become the youngest goalscorer in UEFA Super Cup history.
The teenager had already become the youngest player on record to start the fixture and marked the occasion with a goal few Aston Villa supporters will forget.
ReadAstonVilla covered Madjo’s extraordinary record-breaking moment against PSG as the teenager continued a remarkable start to life in Emery’s first-team plans.
Villa went into the interval level, but PSG regained control early in the second half.
Doué found the net on 61 minutes, with a lengthy VAR check eventually confirming that the goal would stand.
Emery responded from the bench as Villa searched for another equaliser, while PSG goalkeeper Matvey Safonov was required to make important interventions as the game remained competitive.
Villa continued pushing until the final whistle but could not force the game to penalties.
The defeat will hurt after Emery’s side had fought their way back into the final, particularly following Madjo’s historic intervention.
However, competing so closely with the reigning Champions League winners offered further evidence of Villa’s progress on the European stage.
For Madjo, the night will still be remembered for very different reasons.
Only weeks after finally being cleared to play competitive football for Villa following the club’s successful registration appeal, the 17-year-old has now scored against PSG in a European final and secured a place in UEFA Super Cup history.
