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Paris Saint-Germain retains UEFA Super Cup

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Paris Saint-Germain won the UEFA Super Cup for a second straight year by beating Aston Villa 2-1 on Wednesday thanks to Désiré Doué’s second-half goal in the annual curtain-raiser to the European soccer season.Paris Saint-Germain won the UEFA Super Cup for a second straight year by beating Aston Villa 2-1 on Wednesday thanks to Désiré Doué’s second-half goal in the annual curtain-raiser to the European soccer season.

PSG’s Vitinha lifts the trophy during celebrations at the end of the UEFA Super Cup soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Aston Villa in Salzburg, Austria, Wednesday, Aug.12, 2026. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

Paris Saint-Germain won the UEFA Super Cup for a second straight year by beating Aston Villa 2-1 on Wednesday thanks to Désiré Doué’s second-half goal in the annual curtain-raiser to the European soccer season.

Doué’s 61st-minute strike after running onto Ousmane Dembélé’s pass was initially ruled out for offside, only for the goal to be awarded following a video review.

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READ: How Paris Saint-Germain won its record-extending 14th Ligue 1 title

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s powerfully struck opener in the 20th was canceled out by a volley from Brian Madjo, a 17-year-old striker making his competitive debut for Villa days after getting approval to play following a dispute with FIFA over his registration.

It’s the first of a possible six trophies this season for PSG, which became the first team to win back-to-back Super Cup titles since Real Madrid (2016 and ’17).

The Super Cup is an annual early-season match between the most recent winners of the Champions League (PSG) and Europa League (Villa).

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Referee was the Somali official barred from World Cup

The game in Salzburg, Austria, was refereed by Omar Artan, the Somali who was barred by the United States from officiating at the World Cup days before the start of FIFA’s tournament because of vetting concerns. U.S. officials claimed Artan had connections to terror organizations, though without providing proof.

UEFA responded by picking Artan — a referee judged the best in Africa last season — to take charge of the Super Cup in a powerplay by European soccer’s governing body amid its increasing disconnect with FIFA.

That disharmony has increased since, with UEFA leading the campaign to oust Gianni Infantino from the FIFA presidency over his recent — aborted — plan to sell an interest in the World Cup.

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Artan was the first non-European referee to take charge of the Super Cup.

Another season, another trophy for PSG

After winning five titles last season, PSG is back on the trophy trail already — and could pick up a second in the 2026-27 campaign when it takes on Lens in the Trophée des Champions on Sunday. That’s a match between last season’s league and cup winners in France.

Doué was one of the PSG players who only returned to training on Monday following the World Cup, but he was handed a start by coach Luis Enrique and proved to be the matchwinner.

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The 21-year-old forward ran through unchallenged after latching onto Dembélé’s pass behind the Villa defense and curled a left-foot shot into the far corner. The offside flag was then raised but a check by the VAR showed that Villa right back Matty Cash was keeping Doué onside.

Artan awarded the goal after the review and Doué punched the air in delight.

Kvaratskhelia was PSG’s standout player of the first half and his goal was mesmeric as he cut in from the left and lashed a fierce, rising shot inside the near post.

Teenager Madjo causes havoc

Remember the name: Brian Madjo.

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It was quite the debut by the powerfully built teenager who was born in north London, has played three friendly matches for Luxembourg, and now has decided to represent England.

Madjo joined Villa from French club Metz in January but FIFA blocked his registration because its transfer rules limit international moves by players under the age of 18. Villa appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport and it was upheld last week, allowing him to make his club debut as the youngest player to feature in a Super Cup.

He caused havoc at times for PSG’s elite center-half duo of Willian Pacho and Marquinhos and could have scored two or three goals before finally getting on the scoresheet by meeting John McGinn’s cross with a volley into the roof of the net.

Moments earlier, Madjo had bundled past Pacho and hit the post with a shot.

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It was a fourth straight loss in the Super Cup for Villa manager Unai Emery, whose other losses came with Sevilla (twice) and Villarreal.

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Who will win the SL vs IND 2026 1st Test match?

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The World Test Championship is back, and India are on the road once again! They haven’t had to travel far, though, since Sri Lanka are the hosts of a two-Test series across Galle and Colombo. The first Test will start on Saturday, August 14 at the picturesque Galle International Stadium.

Both teams won’t be at full strength. The home side will be without star batters Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis, while India will miss the services of Jasprit Bumrah and Sai Sudharsan. Nevertheless, an interesting series filled with talented names beckons.

Sri Lanka haven’t won a home Test against India in a while. In fact, it’s been quite a few years since the two-time World Test Championship finalists even toured the island nation. It’ll be interesting to see how the two teams fare.

India’s updated squad for the Test series against Sri Lanka: Shubman Gill (c), KL Rahul (vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant (wk), Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Manav Suthar, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Gurnoor Brar, Devdutt Padikkal, Saransh Jain, Auqib Nabi.

Sri Lanka’s squad for the Test series against India: Dhananjaya de Silva (c), Lahiru Udara, Nishan Madushka, Kamindu Mendis, Dinesh Chandimal, Pasindu Sooriyabandara, Sonal Dinusha, Niroshan Dickwella, Ramesh Mendis, Prabath Jayasuriya, Keshara Nuwantha, Milan Rathnayake, Asitha Fernando, Lahiru Kumara, Vishwa Fernando, Dilshan Madushanka.


SL vs IND 2026: Conditions in Galle a relative unknown as India start favorites

Sri Lanka v India Test Series Previews - Source: GettySri Lanka v India Test Series Previews - Source: Getty
Sri Lanka v India Test Series Previews – Source: Getty

The Galle International Stadium used to produce turners, but its nature has been unpredictable in recent times. It has become more batting-friendly in recent years, while a bit of rain is also on the forecast for the first Test.

Taking those factors out of the equation, it’s still easy to say that India are the favorites for this contest. The challenge posed by Prabath Jayasuriya and Ramesh Mendis is a notable one on a turner, but their numbers haven’t been particularly impressive on flatter surfaces. Moreover, the Sri Lankan pacers don’t have a great record in home conditions.

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India’s batting unit has a few weaknesses, but their bowling makes up for it. The returning Ravindra Jadeja adds balance, while Manav Suthar and Kuldeep Yadav are incredibly threatening bowlers. The pace attack has performed well, too.

Sri Lanka have had some plucky displays in the longest format in recent times, but India can be expected to come out on top in the opening game of the series.

Prediction: India to win the 1st Test vs Sri Lanka.