PSG beat Flamengo to win the Intercontinental Cup after Safonov made four saves in penalty shootout

Matvei Safonov scored four consecutive penalties in a shootout to help Paris Saint-Germain beat Flamengo in the FIFA Intercontinental Cup final on Wednesday and win their sixth trophy in 2025.

The Russian goalkeeper was thrown into the air by his teammates after his heroics in the shootout which was won 2-1 by PSG after extra time after a 1-1 draw.

It completed 12 months of trophies for the French team, who had already won the Trophée des Champions, the French League, the French Cup, the Champions League and the UEFA Super Cup – including on penalties against Tottenham in August.

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia gave PSG the lead in the 38th minute before Marquinhos was awarded a penalty that Jorginho converted in the 62nd minute for Flamengo, who were looking to win a second Intercontinental Cup title after 1981.

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Flamengo won the Copa Libertadores and the Brazilian championship titles in recent weeks.

It was a first world title for PSG.

Safonov, PSG’s backup goalkeeper, had not played a minute for the team until Lucas Chevalier suffered an ankle injury in late November.

Chevalier was fit enough to make the bench against Flamengo, but Safonov kept his place and eventually became the shootout hero after successive saves from Saul Niguez, Pedro, Leo Pereira and Luiz Araujo.

Of the nine penalties taken, only three were scored: Flamengo’s first by Samuel Lino and then Vitinha and Nuno Mendes for PSG.

Ousmane Dembele, crowned the best men’s player of 2025 at the FIFA awards on Tuesday, was one of two players who failed to score from the spot for PSG.

PSG’s success saw a series of victories for European teams in the final of the Intercontinental Cup, which was played for more than 40 years until 2004 before being renamed the Club World Cup.

FIFA brought back the Intercontinental Cup last year after revamping the Club World Cup as a 32-team summer tournament, which had its first edition this year – with PSG losing to Chelsea in the final.

The last non-European team to win the Club World Cup or the renamed Intercontinental Cup was Corinthians in 2012.

Despite the loss, Flamengo still return from the Intercontinental Cup with two trophies, awarded by FIFA for winning interconfederation matches to reach the final.

Flamengo defeated Cruz Azul in what was classified by the organizers as the ‘Derby of the Americas’. The Brazilian champions then defeated Pyramids 2-0 in what was essentially a play-off to reach the final and win the ‘Challenger Cup’.

The Intercontinental Cup featured the six teams that won the continental title in each of the FIFA confederations. PSG went straight to the final as winners of the Champions League in Europe.

Published on December 18, 2025