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By HARRY BAMFORTH, LIVE SPORTS COVERAGE REPORTER and MATT BARLOW AT THE BLUENERGY STADIUM Updated: 06: 00 AEST, 14 August 2025 110 View comments Follow Daily Mail Sport's live blog for the latest score, team news and updates as PSG take on Tottenham in the UEFA Super Cup at the Bluenergy Stadium in Udine, Italy.   I thought Tottenham were meant to be bad at set pieces. Under Ange Postecoglou, they were pants at them offensively and defensively. It was one of their worst traits. Well, that's not the case under Thomas Frank. They now look more like their north London rivals, Arsenal. Spurs have been causing PSG so many problems through free-kicks and long throws. Eventually, one was bound to lead to a goal, and it did. Just look at those celebrations. The moment that Palinha hit teh woodwork, I took my hands away from my keyboard and put them to my head. But then along came Mickey van de Ven, who made me put my hands back to work almost instantly. Great reactions from the big man. So far, so good for Tottenham. If you were to tell me at the start of this game that Spurs would be leading PSG at half-time following a dominant display, I may well have laughed. Well, Thomas Frank is the one laughing now. His tactics have been spot on, and Tottenham have put in a perfect performance in Udine so far. Can they keep it going after the break? Ohhhhh. .. I thought that was two. I can't believe it, Mohammad Kudus can't believe it, and the Spurs fans can't believe it. Richarlison does brilliantly to nod the ball onto Kudus, who dives toward it like Tom Daley in his prime. The Ghanaian reaches it, but his header crashes against the post. Spurs have some player in Mohammad Kudus, what a baller. He produces a cheeky bit of skill to get some space down teh right, before lofting a ball into the box. But the ball floats over everybody, which is a shame, because the skill deserved better than that. By Matt Barlow At The Bluenergy Stadium 'Oh boy, this could be a long night for Tottenham, looking at this team. ' That's what I said when I saw the Tottenham team news, and now I feel like an idiot. Nothing new then, eh? But seriously, I didn't see this happening, but Spurs have been superb so far and are well worth their lead. TOTTENHAM HIT THE FRONT! It's been coming, you have to say, and now Mickey van de Ven has Spurs well on their way to a second trophy in just three months. Yep. W nods a free-kick into the danger zone, and Palhinha sees Lucas Chevalier tip his effort onto the bar. The ball bounces back out to Van de Ven, and he slides the ball into an unguarded net. Who saw this coming? PSG really are struggling to break this Tottenham side down. Gone are the days of ridiculously high lines with nine men. It was fun while it lasted. Thomas Frank's side now sit back and cause chaos on the counter. I like it. Djed Spence is everywhere. The kid is just so fast, he reminds me of the character Roadrunner - please tell me you know who that is. But oh, just as I'm praising him, he gets nutmegged by Ousmane Dembele. Oops. Demebel's shot nearly ends up on Mars, though. I honestly am not sure what is going on. .. Tottenham are actually outplaying PSG. Yep, that is a real sentence, and it's hard to believe. But Spurs really are on top, and Djed Spence nearly sets up a chance by managing to beat Achraf Hakimi to the ball in the box, but his cross is blocked. Yes, he beat Hakimi in a race. .. I know, mental. That's brilliant from Pape Matar Sarr. Bradley Barcola is on his bike, and his wheels are turning like Bradley Wiggins in his prime. He burns past Kevin Danso before looking to put the ball into the danger area. But Sarr comes from nowhere and manages to put the ball behind for a corner, which comes to nothing. And another chance, hooray. From the corner, Rodrigo Bentancur gets his noggin on the ball to scare Lucas Chevlier briefly. But his header dips just wide, and now the two teams are off for a water break. It's so humid in Udine, I feel like I am travelling in Bangkok. Oh yeah, now that's what we want! Richarlison has given me something to talk about, at last. Spurs spring a threatening counter on PSG and Richarlison plays a lovely little give-and-go with Mohammad Kudus. When he gets the ball back, he just has a pop first time from 25 yards out, which nearly catches Lucas Chevalier out. But the keeper sorts himself out to tip over the bar. You know a game has not been eventful when there are literally no photographs of any chances to post. All the pictures are just players wrestling with each other, that's it. If these guys don't give the photographers something to snap soon, this blog is going to look so blank. That's an attack, of sorts. Just not a good one. Djked Spence tries to answer my rally call, but after giving the ball to Pape Matar Sarr, the move ends in a PSG goal kick. Yep, not great. I'm going to say it. .. this game is boring. Yes, I know my job is to hype it up as much as possible, but there is literally nothing to hype up. I could post like, 'Dejd Spence has made a pass, and Richarlison passes back to him. ' But who wants to read that? Well, the promising start has drifted away. Not to moan too early, but if I think about it, not that much has happened in this game. Yes, there have been momentum changes, but it's just been a whole lot of passing from both teams. Come on lads, let's see some chances. .. I am the ultimate jinx. I don't know why I haven't learned from my former mistakes, because every time I have a pop at a team, they always start playing well straight after. PSG have certainly woken up now are having all the ball. Spurs are suddenly struggling to get the ball. This game has become more like what we were expecting. By Matt Barlow At The Bluenergy Stadium OK, OK, normal service resumed. PSG finally get the ball and show what they are about with one hell of a move. There is some superb one-touch passing around the Spurs box, and Warren Zaire-Emery manages to slide the ball to Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. But the Georgian falls over while pulling the trigger and the ball rolls wide. Tottenham really have started well. The Londoners are knocking the ball about nicely, and PSG can't seem to get near them. Am I dreaming? I feel like I am. By Matt Barlow At The Bluenergy Stadium Well, I was not expecting this. It is Spurs that are taking the game to PSG, not the other way around. I know, shocking, right? A long throw is pumped into the PSG box, and it causes chaos, with Cristian Romero very nearly getting a good header to the ball. But the French side clear, eventually. Oooft, what a start that would have been. PSG nearly get off to a horrific start as they give the ball away at the back, with Pedro Porro picking it up in acres of space. But as soon as it rolled his way, I reckon the PSG players took a sigh of relief. .. well, certainly as he cocks his leg to shoot. Porro is way too eager to shoot and bends the ball over the bar. There is a huge banner showing which says: 'Stop killing Children, stop killing civilians. ' Which I presume is a call to stop the conflict in Gaza. The players take a little while to get ready as we start a couple of minutes later here in Udine. But finally, off we go. By Matt Barlow At The Bluenergy Stadium Oh, when the. .. You know the tune, but I imagine only the Tottenham fans in this blog will want to sing it. Both teams are ready, and now they emerge from the tunnel to a cauldron of noise. The atmosphere is bouncing, New Spurs captain Cristian Romero picks up teh Europa League trophy, while Marquinhos gets a hold of Ol' Big Ears with flags waving about in the background. I have to say, the Super Cup song is a bit of a bop, too, but it is being drowned out by the PSG fans. Nothing new. By Matt Barlow At The Bluenergy Stadium Oooooo, are we excited? If some of you have thought now, after reading that, I am very disappointed in you. This is a big game; you should be buzzing. Well, I, for one, am. The warm-ups have just finished, teh players are back in the dressing rooms, and it's nearly go time. Let's hope it's a cracking night. Hallelujah. If you read my blogs, you will know just how much I dislike extra time, so I am buzzing to say that there will be none of it tonight, even if this final ends in a draw. If it does end all square, we will go straight to penalties just like we did in the Community Shield. They need to adopt this in all competitions, in my opinion. Imagine if Luis Enrique ended up being Tottenham boss. .. I'd like to say he would have led them to the Champions League like he did for PSG, but come on, let's be real, we all know what Spurs does to managers. It breaks them. That may sound dramatic, but look at what id did to Ange Postecoglou. Yes, he may have ended Spurs' 17-year trophy drought, but look at what last season led him to say. He was not a happy man for the majority of it. Then there was Antonio Conte and Jose Mourinho. This club has chewed up and spat out top managers. It may just have done the same to Enrique. By Matt Barlow At The Bluenergy Stadium This stadium may only seat 30, 000 people, but it sounds like there is around 60K in here right now. It's so blooming loud, already. .. Honestly, I can barely hear myself think because of teh PSG ultras. They always bring the atmosphere, and tonight it's no different. The best fans in teh biz when it comes to chanting. By Matt Barlow At The Bluenergy Stadium Harry Redknapp, ex-Spurs boss, speaking to Bet Victor Casino: It really is a day of firsts. First meeting, first Spurs Super Cup final. .. and now this stat. Tonight, Thomas Frank becomes the first manager whose first game in charge of an English club has been in the UEFA Super Cup. Can he start life off at Spurs with silverware? Imagine. This has baffled me. .. This is the first time that PSG and Tottenham have ever played each other in a competitive setting. Surely that start can't be right? They have to have met at some point across teh past decade in Europe, right? Wrong. No matter how much it blows my mind, the stat is true. This is their first-ever meeting. Mental, just mental. When Warren Zaire-Emery made his debut at 16 years old, everybody just assumed he was going to gop on and be a star. But the last couple of years have not been easy for the youngster. Zaire-Emery has really struggled for minutes due to the sheer brilliance of Joao Neves and Vitinha; there is just rarely space for him in PSG's mega midfield. But tonight, he gets his chance. It's easy to forget that he is just 19 and still has his whole career ahead of him. The Super Cup may just see it reignite. By Matt Barlow At The Bluenergy Stadium Interesting, very interesting. .. Luis Enrique is really not holding back tonight; it's all-out attack mode for PSG. Desire Doue, Bradley Barcola, Ousmane Dembele, and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia are all starting. Joao Neves is suspended after picking up a red card up in the Club World Cup final, and Fabian is on the bench, so Warren Zaire-Emery comes into this super team. Thomas Frank, Tottenham boss, speaking on Bissouma's absence: Did you guys notice that Yves Bissouma is not in the Spurs squad? Well, if you didn't, now you know. He ain't here. Thomas Frank has left him at home because of persistent lateness. The Dane is clearly making a statement; he has standards, and they need to be met by players. Bissouma hasn't exactly been balling out for Spurs since he joined from Brighton in 2022, so maybe this will kick his bottom into gear. Frank is showing that he is to create a winning culture. By Matt Barlow At The Bluenergy Stadium Oooft, I'm not sure about this look. This is giving me Liverpool 1996 FA Cup final vibes, which is not a good thing if you know what they wore that day. Spurs' stars could have certainly been dressed better for this final. Without the jacket, they don't look too bad, but with it. .. yikes. Anyway, they are in Udine, and that's all that matters. Oh boy, this could be a long night for Tottenham, looking at this team. Is that harsh to say? New signings Palhinha and Mohammad Kudus make their first competitive starts for the club, which is a positive. However, Richarlison starts up top with Dominic Solanke on teh bench due to lack of game time. I'm not sure about that front line, but there we are. Ah man, this is tough. Here is that social media post I was on about, and you can see just how hurt Gianluigi Donnarumma is from all of this. The man who made a huge contribution to PSG's Champions League-winning campaign has just been tossed aside. Brutal. Gianluigi Donnarumma must feel like a guy who has just been dumped by the best girlfriend he has ever had. Time to get the Ben and Jerry's out, if you know what I mean? Luis Enrique has left the Italian out of his squad for teh Super Cup tonight, with Lucas Chevalier and Renato Marin the two goalkeepers travelling, because he is looking for a 'different profile of keeper'. Donnrumme is 'disheartened' by being dropped, and has since released a social media post like a celebrity does when they have been broken up with. I will share that in the next post. .. It's kind of long. Thomas Frank, Tottenham boss, speaking on Tuesday: It's a new dawn, it's a new day, it's a new life. .. for Spurs. Sorry, I just can't help myself; the song puns are just pouring out of me today. Tonight is the first time that Thomas Frank will lead Spurs out for a competitive match after taking over from Ange Postecoglou following the end of last season. And he has teh chance to win silverware in his very first game. This is uncharted territory for Tottenham; they have never been a part of a UEFA Super Cup final, so I'm sure many of the players may be a bit sheepish. But these boys have earned the right to be here, and now they need to show what they are about. Their pre-season was far from ideal, losing to Bayern Munich 4-0 in their last game, but that's to be expected. After the season they had last season, you can't expect them to just win games against teh big boys because Frank is now in charge. That being said, they can certainly give it a crack. I mean, what have they got to lose? It will be interesting to see how they look tonight. .. Luis Enrique, PSG boss, speaking on Tuesday: I know, I know, this seems like an odd sub-heading considering the 2024-25 season that PSG had. They won the Champions League for the very first time, something their owners have dreamt of for over a decade, and one two domestic trophies. Not exactly something you need to bounce back from. But, just bear with me. The last time we saw PSG in a competitive game, they were torn apart by a Chelsea side that everybody just assumed they would beat, or even batter, in teh Club World Cup final. I covered teh game and I'm pretty sure I was rendered speechless by half-time, which is pretty abnormal for me. The Parisians just couldn't live with the Blues; they were schooled. That day proved that PSG were beatable, and they didn't take it well. Luis Enrique even hit Joao Pedro after full-time. Today they will want to show that it was a one-off, and that they remain teh best team in Europe. Enrique will want to make a statement without using his hands. Will we see the PSG that smashed Inter, or crumbled to Chelsea? Are you ready, are you ready for. .. the Super Cup? I have been listening to a lot of Elton John lately - his music is literally in my ears as I type this opening post - so I thought I would incorporate some of his music into the blog. Why not? It's a feel-good tune, and boy, do I feel good about what we have in store for you tonight. We had the English football curtain raiser on Sunday, now it's time for the opening scene of the European football show. Let's hope we are in for an entertaining start, like we were at Wembley. Last season's Champions League winners, PSG, take on the reigning Europa League champions Tottenham (yes, they really did win a trophy last season) at the Blunergy Stadium in Udine, Italy. Pre-season is well and truly over now, folks; this is where the fun truly begins. Grab yourself a drink, some snacks, and enjoy the show. As a Tottenham fan of 30 years I'm genuinely just . ..

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