Football Daily - The Debrief: PSG complete Super Cup comeback against Tottenham

Episode Date: August 14, 2025

Steve Crossman is joined by former Tottenham winger Aaron Lennon, ex-Spurs goalkeeper Paul Robinson and chief football correspondent John Murray to react to PSG’s late comeback over Tottenham Hotspur to win the European Super Cup on penalties.How great of an impact will this loss have on the Spurs players? What positives can they take forward from this game?Hear from Thomas Frank as the panel discuss what his Tottenham side looks like and how it differs from the side led by Ange Postecoglou last season. Has Luis Enrique made the right decision in swapping Gianluigi Donnarumma out for new singing Lucas Chevalier in goal? French football expert Matt Spiro also joins the pod to answer: what is the significance of this trophy for Champions League holders, PSG? Timecodes: 3’29: Live reaction from the Friuli stadium 5’07: PSG unaffected by fatigue? 9’20: What will Spurs take from this loss? 11’05: Thomas Frank audio 13’07: French football expert, Matt Spiro 16’20: What’s most impressive about Thomas Frank’s Tottenham? Football commentaries this week: Saturday 16th August PREMIER LEAGUE: Sunderland v West Ham 1500 KO, live on 5 Live. PREMIER LEAGUE: Spurs v Burnley 1500 KO, live on 5 Sports Extra. PREMIER LEAGUE: Wolves v Man City 1730 KO, live on 5 Live. Sunday 17th August PREMIER LEAGUE: Chelsea v Crystal Palace 1400 KO, live on 5 Live. PREMIER LEAGUE: Nottingham Forest v Brentford 1400 KO, live on 5 Sports Extra. PREMIER LEAGUE: Manchester United v Arsenal 1630 KO, live on 5 Live.

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I'm Steve Crossman. I've got the former Tottenham winger Aaron Lennon with me. We've also got former Spurs and England goalkeeper Paul Robinson, football correspondent John Murray, as well. And we are reacting to Parry Sanjaman, coming back from 2-0 down against Tottenham on 85 minutes to win the European Super Cup on a penalty shootout. Let's just start with John and Paul

inside Stadio Friuli in Udine after Nuno Mendes penalty sealed PSG's comeback. You cannot count. Lewis Enrique's team out. Two-nil down in the 85th minute. And yet it is PSG who are celebrating the winning of yet another trophy. Denied by Chelsea in America at the FIFA Club World Cup just 31 days ago. But the team that won the French domestic double made it a treble with the Champions League.

Now they've added the UEFA Super Cup. And for the first time they've won that trophy here today. night. They celebrate initially in front of the Tottenham fans, but now are heading right down the other end of the stadium to enjoy yet another great moment of celebration with their supporters who've come all the way here from Paris and for Tottenham and for Thomas Frank so close to a trophy in his first competitive match, but not the not the only team to have been done by PSG in 2025. Devastation for Tottenham.

Absolute devastation and shock all rounders. For those in white shirts up in the stand away to our left, quickly making the way to the exits. Five minutes away from winning the second trophy in 17 years. It looked, it was such a good performance. They did everything right Tottenham, but they conceded that goal to bring it back to 2-1 and then they crumbled.

You could just feel the pressure mounting on Tottenham. PSG got the self back into it and the penalty shootout when you get that stage it's a lottery. And it's a very, very pressure. situation scenario for these Tottenham players. PSG handled it better than Tottenham did. The Tottenham players in front of us on the pitch, strewn, head in hands, arms around each other.

Pure sight of devastation. So close to a major trophy once again. So much disappointment you can see the side of the stadium to our left. Half empty, half the supporters staying in to applaud the players that are on the pitch. In shock most of them, I'm not so sure that they can quite

quite understand what's just happened. Devastated, disappointment. Well, they did so much right tonight, but in the end, it's the Champions League holders who've won the Super Cup. Seven times in a row, that's been the case that the Champions League holders have won it, and the celebrations begin

at the other end. The PSG support players running and jumping towards the end where all of their ultras are. So that is it. Sanjaman and Tottenham 2-2 after the 90 minutes and added time. PSG coming from 2-0 down with the two late goals and winning the penalty shootout 4-3. PSG, another trophy in the bag.

I feel like I've been transported back to Munich with the shots of a trophy being emblazing with the name of Paris Saint-German with Louis Enrique, jumping up and down. I suspect John Murray might keep his top on this time. Yes, I think I think. So, you know, this is the cream on top, isn't it, this trophy? I mean, it does have prestige. You can only win it if you won the Champions League or the Europa League.

So it is the classic showpiece situation. But, you know, the Champions League was the one they absolutely wanted. That was the night for tops off for Lewis Enrique, not tonight. Aaron Lennon, we will talk about Tottenham and how much they did right tonight. But before we do that, because Paris Sanderman have won it, I mean, we could talk about discipline or discipline, pressing or set pieces, but there is no attribute in football like knowing, never knowing when you're beaten and PSG just never know when they're beaten?

Yeah, never know, like you said, the quality that this team has, they've shown it all last season and again here. Like I said, they've only been back a week and there was really rusty today, but you could start to see there was creeping into the game. They started dominating possession. And once they've got that first goal, like you said, we sat here and called it. We was like, oh, this is tough now for Tottenham to dig in because PSG then. stepped up in other gear.

They showed their moments of class, bits of quality. Dembelli puts a lovely ball in. It's a great goal. And I was even worried for Spurs to lose it in the added time then because they were so much on top. But yeah, it's a disappointing end for Spurs because there was lots of positives. But PSG of that team, they're a fantastic outfit.

They never know when they're beaten. Massive credit to the players and to the manager. We spoke Paul Robinson so much about Paris-German and about it effectively being a first game of their preseason because of the club world cup but even with you know tiredness even with lack of sharpness they've just got people they've got so many players who are so technically good and we wouldn't have spent any time before the game talking about someone like lee kang in but it was that brilliant strike that that turned the tide yeah and they've got players who know

to get over the line and know how to win trophies I think this will be damaging for Tottenham I really do I think because yeah the situation they're in tune in look with five minutes they go seeing the players on the pitch now. They're all stood individually. There's little groups, little huddles. Papsar's in front of me down here, crouched over in his haunches. Richarlison stood on his own on the edge of the box.

Vicario still hasn't moved from the edge of the 18-yard box. They're absolutely devastated. They were so close. This could have been so big for Topham. You know, they got the trophy that they've so longingly waited for at the end of last season. And this could have been a real step forward for Topham, but instead it's a real blow.

Listen, when you when you analyze it and you take the, the pieces out of it. We'll say, you know what, it was a decent performance. It was a good performance by Tottenham. There's a lot of positives they can take out of it. But actually, they've given away a two-go lead

and ended up losing the game within the last five minutes. I think this will hurt, and I just hope there's no lasting damage going into the season from it. No, I fully agree, Robert. These hurt, and you can see the players there. They're really hurting here

because you know games which you should win, and this is one of them. Like you said, there was five minutes to go to see a game out, even when it goes to 2-1. You have to see these games out, and Tottenham didn't handle that well enough. But looking at the disappointing on some of these players

to pick yourself up in what three days' time when the Premier League starts, yeah, he's quite worrying looking at the players now. And Thomas Frank's biggest job now is to pick these players up quickly and get over it because there was a lot of positives tonight. Really is, Steve, a scene of genuine disappointment and disbelief among the Tottenham players. I mean, Benton Cor's walking over now to pick up Richarlerson,

who's been with his shirt off on his haunche, he's on his own at the edge of the box. Vicario, hands on hips on the far side still hasn't moved. Just pure shock, disbelief. and disappointment. This is hitting them hard at the moment. Yeah, it's really interesting just watching what we can see on the TV pictures back here.

The emotions that you're talking about, they look like a team who've just lost a Champions League final or an FAA Cup final as opposed to a Super Cup final. It shows what it means to them. It shows what it would mean to Tottenham. You know, it was a huge step last year, lifting that Europa League trophy. It was massive.

We all know about the fun that's poked at Tottenham, the 17 years, you know, the kudos and the bragging rights that that trophy brings to these sets of supporters who have suffered for a long, long time. This tonight would have just been, they could have gone to every Premier League ground next year and sung Champions of Europe. Whether it was or not, you could argue, but that's the type of thing. And that's what it meant to these sets of supporters.

And you can see that. It meant that to the players as well. You can obviously see the way that they've built towards this game, what Thomas Frank's done to them. They're absolutely devastated down on the pitch in front of me. I think it's so interesting what you guys were saying about the danger of lasting damage. Because to be honest, Darren, that wouldn't have occurred to me. I'm not devaluing the Super Cup, but, you know, it isn't an FA Cup final or a Champions League final.

If there is a real danger of that, does that mean that it's going to be very difficult for them to do what I maybe slightly naively would think they could do, which is in a day's time or two days' time sit back and think, well, against probably the best team in the world, for 85 minutes, we were beating them 2-0. Yeah, no, but I just think you're playing certain games, and this was definitely one of them. They knew PSG with miles off it. PSG has been back for a week, and I know it is the best team in the world. But this is not PSG who have been flying all season. This is PSG who have just come off with holidays. And when you have these opportunities, they don't come around again.

You don't get these opportunities. And I think this is why these games hurt so much when you know you have basically half your hands on the trophy, and you should be able to see these games out. And you start to, you get these games now in the Premier League where you tune her up and a team scores in the 86 minute, and you start to think of these moments again. So these things last They do stick They do stick

And as you said They need to get over this quickly But Thomas Frank He's got a job now I'm picking these players up I think it's fascinating Paul Because I had written down Sort of four or five things

That I thought Tottenham did well And was fully prepared to be like Oh they can take this forward And that forward Does it just not matter now That they were really good From set pieces And they looked really disciplined

And that their pressing was really good Does that kind of go out the window Yeah when you unpack this in the next 24, 48 hours, and that's the job of the manager and the coaching staff. He's got to get back to the Tottenham Hotspur training ground, show them the video and show them everything that they did well and put the belief back into these players

because at the moment they could crawl under a snake's belly with a top hat on. He needs to pick these players up. He needs to get them back to what they did for 75, 80 minutes in this game. Because they did play well, listen, there's a lot of subplots around this game. PSG only been here for a week,

you know, only training for a week. They're only game in preseason, then been miles off it. But that adds to Tottenham's frustration because they knew, and they know what a chance that was. They knew what a chance that they had. They had the best team in Europe five minutes away from taking the next trophy off them. And it's very, very disappointing for them. I'd love to see the statistic again about the number of teams who miss first in a penalty shootout and come back to win.

I won't lie, John. When Vitina sort of approached his penalty like he was stalking a wild animal, I thought this was all going Tottenham's way. Yeah, but that's how he takes his penalties and Raya saved his penalty didn't he at the Park de Prance when he did exactly the same thing that remember how they won the penalty shootout to knock out Liverpool

in the round of 16 wasn't it at Anfield so it is remarkable how often that is the case that the team that misses first actually goes on to win the penalty shootout. All right, let's hear from the Topner manager shall we. Here is Thomas Frank. Very very proud of the players, the team

The club, the fans, I think the players gave everything. Playing against one of the best things in the world, maybe the best at the moment. And I think we, 75, 80 minutes, perfect, almost giving nothing away against, they put four players with unbelievable individual quality on the pitch. So very, very proud. I knew that we had to do something a little bit different against PSG. So it was a special operation, but no, so we worked on a game plan that was a little bit different and very, very close to succeed. I think if you played 2-2 against PSD, I think you take that.

So I think that that single result is good. Then if you then separate, then you have a penalty shootout, we lost. So maybe we need to work on penalties. Maybe that's the thing to win a final. I think if everyone has said this will be a draw and we will do some penalties everyone would think oh that's quite impressive and then if you look into the performance

we actually put in and the shift the players put in wow wow what a mentality throughout the game so a lot of things to be happy with get closer to the action with live commentary from the world's greatest sporting events on BBC Sounds.

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with Steve Crosman. Right, let's bring Matt Spiro, French football expert, into the conversation as we watch the PSG players celebrating and lifting the trophy. Matt, we've just been talking about the devastation

on the face of the Tottenham players and what it means to them to have lost this final in this way. How big a moment is this for Paris Saint-Germain? I think it's important, Steve. I think, you know, if Tottenham had gone on, held on to their lead,

then I think a lot of people here would have said, well, listen, you know, PSG were not physically ready for this one. They've only been back in training for a week. And it certainly looked like that in the first half. You know, physically they were a long way from their best. But as Marquinoos just said on French television, it's not just about physicality. It's about being able to use the ball. It's about positioning and tactics.

And they absolutely showed their spirit and their determination as well as their quality, I think, to actually get over the line just about in the end. The way that they looked at that trophy and some of them kissed that trophy as well. I mean, it's not exactly the Champions League trophy lift, but there is a lot of love for that. I mean, it is a great trophy, and it's an old school trophy as well.

It's the first ever time that a French club has won the Super Cup, and actually PSG's last attempt was in 1997. They lost 6-1 to Juventus in the first leg and then 3-1 in the second leg, so they had a horrible time of it. So it's important, of course. You know, we've waited so long for a French team to follow Marseille who won the Champions League in 93. PSG had finally done it.

I think also after missing out to Chelsea in the FIFA Club World Cup, I think it's important. You know, it would have been a little bit of an anti-climax had they been beaten again. So it's a fifth trophy that they've won now in the last 12 months. And absolutely it is important to them. It's also a huge moment that for Lucas Chevalier, who, you know, certainly made a mistake. the second Tottenham goal for him to have come back and saved a penalty in the shootout with everything that's going on around Gigi Donoruma that will be a big moment for him yeah that's absolutely huge I mean the spotlight is going to be on the goalkeeper

throughout this season you know assuming that Donoruma does leave Paris Sanjaman there are going to be comparisons everything Chevalier does he's a terrific young goalkeeper but he's not totally proven you know at the very highest level yet he made that mistake it was interesting to see him celebrate wild when Gonzalo Ramos got the equalizer, you could see he was so delighted. He was going to have the chance to redeem himself. And yeah, he pulled off one very important save. And that ultimately proved enough with Mattis Tell missing a penalty as well.

So it's going to be fascinating to see how that pans out. You know, a move that is seen as surprising by some, controversial by some, but something that I think Louis Enriqueque was looking to do several months ago, even before Donald Ruma's champion's league heroics. Matt, good stuff. Thank you very much indeed. Matt Spiro, French football expert. Let's just bring it back to Tottenham hotspur.

So, Aaron, when the frustration and the devastation of the night has worn off, what looking forward is the thing that most impressed you about seeing Thomas Franks Tottenham for the first time? I think it was the whole structure of the team now. There's so much disciplined. And I think you need that in the Premier League. Like he said, there was times last season, some of the time where the team was just too open and they got exposed.

And I think under Thomas Frank, we're going to see a much more organised Tottenham side. It's going to be very different to last season. But I think, like I said, after tonight, once the dust, does settle, there's a lot of positive to take from this evening. It's one game, I know, Paul, but they did look a much better side from set pieces. Yeah, absolutely. They looked at, listen, they looked a much better

side full stop. I know they had a great start with under Antiposter Coglu, but actually they looked like a side who were organized and they had a structure and a game plan, not only at the start of the game, but at different points in the game. He was able to adapt, who was able to change. Obviously, they didn't hold on as a counter argument to that. They weren't able to hold on and adapt enough to hold on.

But actually, you can see a manager who's tactically aware and he's tactically able to set up a team to try and beat a team who his team are inferior to. The structure was there, the set players were there. You could see they were playing in a different way. There was an understanding. And there was an enjoyment of being without the ball, the defending side of things.

They were quite comfortable to retreat into a defensive shape. I'm talking about it in the first half, not just at the end when they were having to hold on, but actually when they weren't in possession, they were quite happy and comfortable in a defensive structure and they knew what the trigger was to press and break out of that structure, which we haven't seen before. I wouldn't be surprised if many of the Tottenham fans

are wondering why Brennan Johnson didn't get onto the field. I mean, there may be reasons for that, but he was named as a substitute. So no Brennan Johnson, obviously Madison and Kulosefsky are out, You know, two very important players with Doggy not able to be involved tonight. But Thomas Frank, you know, reading between the lines how he sounded when he spoke to us, you know, he came across as a man who's confident that there are more new players coming. By the way, Daniel Levy, not here.

The reason for that is, it's a very good reason. He is a way, his daughter has just started university in the United States. So that's why he wasn't here, just in case anyone's wondering. All right, that's it for this episode of the Football Daily. Also out now on your feed, you can catch 72 plus our EFL podcast with Aaron Paul. and Joby McEnough, they're debating which players to add to their ultimate, all-time, EFL 11. As ever, thank you so much for listening.

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