A Hitchcock thriller ends in penalty climax: PSG arise from abyss to crush Marseille

Madness. Chaos. Pure football dessert! Could it get crazier? Could it get crazier than this showdown in Kuwait?

Paris Saint-Germain and Marseille delivered a thriller worthy of Alfred Hitchcock. Suspense, twists, heartbreak - a final act that left one side shattered.

Robert De Zerbi's Marseille were seconds from their first Super Cup win in 15 years, poised to topple their hated rival for the second time this season. They could almost touch the trophy. Almost - until the football gods intervened.

PSG were on their knees, literally defeated after throwing away their hard-fought 1-0 lead. Marseille only had to survive two more minutes of the stoppage time.

And then came Goncalo Ramos.

The Portuguese striker came on from the bench and did what he does best: exploited hesitation, latched onto Bradley Barcola's pass (who did it onto Vitinha's jaw-dropping pass), and dragged the match into penalties.

PSG, led by Lucas Chevalier, then crushed a stunned Marseille side: 2-2, but 4-1 for Les Parisiens after penalties. Three saves from Chevalier sealed the story.

But that was just an insane climax after ninety minutes of madness prior weren't enough. Matches this good should come with extra time automatically.

The drama started to unfold in the 13th minute. A chain of errors from Rulli, Medina, and Paixao allowed Vitinha to find Ousmane Dembele, who slotted calmly into the net to break the deadlock, 1-0.

Many teams would have folded at that point, but not resilient OM. Not De Zerbi. They pressed, they attacked, with chances flying at both ends. Goalkeepers, Chevalier and Rulli, were heroic - until the former conceded a penalty, after a small little contact with Greenwood inside his box. Ten minutes later, an own goal from Willian Pacho opened the door wider for a complete comeback and another Marseille victory over PSG, following the one in the Ligue 1.

All they needed was one last step, but - just as we said - Vitinha delivered to Barcola, Barcola found Ramos, and that was it!

Penalty shootouts were supposed to be the climax. Alas, De Zerbi's men missed their first three. Or to be precise, Chevalier saved every one of them, wiping out any hint of tragedy. Desire Doue's goal was nothing more than a cherry on top of the inevitable. De Zerbi will be dreaming of Goncalo Ramos for a long, long time.

It doesn't get more nightmareish than that!

FRENCH SUPER CUP - FINAL

PSG - Olympique Marseille 4-1 after penalties (2-2)

/Dembele 14, Ramos 90+4 - Greenwood 76, Pacho 87 og/