Russian stopper Matvei Safonov saved four consecutive penalties in a shootout at the Intercontinental Cup, but was not congratulated by Ukrainian defender Ilya Zabarny or regular No. 1 Lucas Chevalier.
Russian keeper Matvei Safonov saved four consecutive penalties in the penalty shootout to win the Intercontinental Cup as Paris Saint-Germain discovered a new hero in the week they lost a huge court case to Kylian Mbappé. But not all his teammates, including Ukrainian Ilya Zabarny, joined him in the celebrations as the French champions won their sixth title of 2025.
Manager Luis Enrique now has to decide who to choose as his No. 1, another issue in a difficult week for the European champions after PSG were ordered by the Paris Labor Court to pay former captain Mbappé more than £52.7m in unpaid wages and bonuses upon the termination of his contract ahead of his free transfer to Real Madrid in 2024.
But in Qatar, the 6ft 4in Safonov took center stage in his fourth appearance of the season as PSG defeated Brazilian champions Flamengo 2-1 on penalties. The match ended 1-1.
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“This is the first time I’ve seen a goalkeeper save a penalty,” coach Luis Enrique said.
Highly rated Portuguese defender Nuno Mendes said: “I’m happy for him. He’s a very nice guy and he laughs with everyone. We’re happy to have him. He’s a great person on and off the field.”
However, as first reported by L’Equipe, Safonov, despite being a PSG hero, only gave one short TV interview and was never shown to the press despite his heroic deed. The reason for this is said to be because PSG did not want to expose the Russian to potential questions about his relationship with former Bournemouth defender Zabarny. He and PSG’s usual No. 1 Lucas Chevalier were the only two PSG players who did not rush to congratulate Safonov after the win.
“In my country, a total war has been going on for four years. The Russians are invaders who are trying to destroy Ukraine’s freedom and independence in vain,” Zabarny said in September after signing with the French club.
“I do not maintain personal relations with any Russians. I have to interact with[Safonov]at a professional level during training and fulfill my obligations to the club. However, as long as the war continues, I fully support Russian football’s isolation in the world.”
PSG paid £48.3 million to sign Lucas Chevalier in the summer after Gianluigi Donnarumma joined Manchester City after failing to agree a new contract. Former Lille stopper Chevalier was number one until he suffered an ankle injury against Monaco and missed the last three games.
Enrique then preferred to keep Safonov rather than bring Chevalier back into the line-up against Flamengo, but it will be difficult to leave him out now.
Asked who his current first-choice goalkeeper is, Enrique was reluctant to answer. “Do you really think now is the time to talk about it? It’s time to celebrate this trophy and congratulate everyone, those who played and those who didn’t.”
Flamengo manager and former Chelsea defender Filipe Luis said: “The PSG goalkeeper has obviously studied very well. It’s like watching our training session yesterday. It’s really impressive.”
“Congratulations to Paris who did not win the championship only on penalties. They had a great season and deserved it. I would like to congratulate Paris and their goalkeeper for avoiding all penalty shootouts and making the team champions.”
PSG started 2025 by winning the Trophee des Champions (French Community Shield) in Qatar, and went on to win the UEFA Champions League, Ligue 1, the Coupe de France and the UEFA Super Cup. Luis Enrique’s team became the third team in history to win six trophies in a calendar year, after Barcelona (2009) and Bayern Munich (2020).
The only trophy they missed out on was losing to Chelsea in the FIFA World Club Cup final in July.
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