Football News

    PSG win record-breaking ninth Trophee des Champions

    By Harry Edwards

    Published: 15:55, 3 August 2019

    Paris Saint-Germain have begun the 2019/20 season with a victory, beating Rennes 2-1 in the Trophee des Champions.

    French football’s curtain-raiser saw the Ligue 1 champions play the French Cup winners. The 2019 edition took place in Shenzhen, China, for the second consecutive season.

    PSG win the Trophee des Champions: Four things to know…

    • In a repeat of the 2019 French Cup final, PSG took on Rennes in the Trophees des Champions.
    • PSG came from behind to win 2-1 thanks to goals from Kylian Mbappe and Angel Di Maria.
    • The French champions are now the most successful side in the competitions history, with nine wins.
    • PSG have also won the last seven consecutive Trophees des Champions.

    PSG went into the game knowing a win would move them clear of Lyon as the most successful team in Trophee des Champions history, having been victorious on eight occasions since the competition’s inception in 1996.

    The Ligue 1 champions did not get off to the greatest start, with Rennes taking the lead after 13 minutes through Adrien Hunou. But in a repeat of the 2019 Coupe de France final between these two sides in May, the side to score first would go on to lose the game.

    As the game ticked towards the hour mark, Kylian Mbappe drew PSG level with his 101st goal in just 181 games in professional football. Angel Di Maria then completed the turnaround in the 73rd minute, giving PSG their ninth Trophee des Champions.

    Such is their recent domination of French football of late, the win took PSG’s Trophee des Champions streak to seven consecutive wins. The last team not named PSG to win the trophy were Lyon in 2012 when they beat Montpellier on penalties.

    The win also took Mbappe’s personal tally to seven trophies for club and country, adding to his three Ligue 1 titles, one Coupe de France, one Coupe de la Ligue and World Cup at the age of just 20.

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    A strange day for Neymar

    Although he played no part in the game, Neymar was present in China for the Trophee des Champions showpiece, watching on from the stands.

    The Brazilian has been surrounded by controversy this summer, with his PSG future very much in doubt amid reports of a potential return to Barcelona.

    Making his way onto the pitch to join his team-mates in celebration, Neymar was pulled into the group by Italian midfielder Marco Veratti, before being embraced by Mbappe.

    When the time came for a photo of the successful team with the trophy Mbappe appeared to push Neymar out, though the Frenchman did look at his team-mate with a wry smile at the end. And it appears Neymar was eventually allowed to be part of the picture, though the Brazilian’s face was obscured by his own baseball cap.

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