POISSY: Matvei Safonov probably saved two penalties with a broken hand to win Paris Saint-Germain the Intercontinental Cup win, his coach Luis Enrique said Friday.&nbsp;The Russian stopped four spot kicks in the shootout in Qatar on Wednesday as PSG edged Brazilians Flamengo to lift another trophy.&nbsp;&quot;The player himself doesn&#39;t know how it happened,&quot; said Luis Enrique.&nbsp;&quot;We think it was on the third penalty kick. He made a strange movement and fractured it. He saved the last two shots with the fracture. The adrenaline was so powerful that the player was able to do it without pain. It&#39;s incredible.&quot;&nbsp;The club released a statement saying that &nbsp;&quot;a further update will be provided in three to four weeks&quot;.&nbsp;Luis Enrique, who has had to deal with a string of injuries this season, said he had not spoken to Safonov.&nbsp;&quot;It&#39;s karma,&quot; Luis Enrique added. &quot;Life is telling him he needs to rest, recover, and accept it. With his mentality, he&#39;ll come back stronger.&quot;&nbsp;Luis Enrique was speaking on the eve of the trip to face fifth-tier Vendee Fontenay in the French Cup.&nbsp;The coach could continue his habit of using backups in the domestic cups and pick third-choice Renato Marin will be in goal, but he could also take the opportunity to hand Lucas Chevalier a first game since recovering from an ankle injury.&nbsp;Safonov&#39;s exploits appeared to fuel a bubbling debate over who should start in goal for the European champions.&nbsp;The 26-year-old Russian began the season as the number two, but his match-winning exploits in Qatar followed several impressive displays standing in for the injured Chevalier, who made a shaky start to the season.&nbsp;Chevalier, who turned 24 in November, was acquired in the summer because coach Luis Enrique liked his footwork with the ball but he has sometimes looked less reliable stopping shots.

Football

Matvei Safonov saved four penalties, including two with a broken hand, to give PSG the Intercontinental Cup over Flamengo. Coach Luis Enrique praised his heroics, noting Safonov’s resilience and potential return stronger after recovery.

PSG penalty hero Safonov ended Intercontinental win with broken hand

PARIS: European Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain will play their first-ever Intercontinental Cup final in Doha, Qatar, on December 17, FIFA announced on Sunday. Their opponents will only be determined four days earlier in the final playoff, called the Challenger Cup.&nbsp;This will pit Egyptian club Pyramids, the African champions, against the winner of the match between Central American champions Cruz Azul from Mexico and the future winner of the Copa Libertadores.&nbsp;The South American tournament is currently in the semi-final stage and includes two Brazilian sides.&nbsp;Palmeiras are up against LDU Quito of Ecuador while Flamengo take on the Argentinian side Racing.&nbsp;The Copa Libertadores final takes place on November 29.&nbsp;From 1960 to 2004, the Intercontinental Cup pitted the champions of Europe and South America against each other.&nbsp;In 2005, it was renamed the Club World Cup to include other continental champions, but that competition was relaunched this year as a quadrennial tournament featuring 32 teams with Chelsea as the inaugural winners of the new format.&nbsp;The Intercontinental Cup was itself relaunched in its new form last year when Real Madrid beat Mexican club Pachuca.

Paris Saint-Germain will contest their first Intercontinental Cup final on December 17 in Doha, facing the Challenger Cup winner between Pyramids, Cruz Azul, and the Copa Libertadores champion. The revived tournament follows last year’s Real Madrid triumph.

Articles tagged with "Intercontinental Cup"

PSG penalty hero Safonov ended Intercontinental win with broken hand

Paris Saint-Germain to Make Intercontinental Cup Debut in Doha Final