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Tottenham, where Son Heung-min (LAFC) left, was frustrated at the summit threshold.
Tottenham lost 3-4 in the penalty shootout after drawing 2-2 in the first and second 90 minutes of the 2025 UEFA Super Cup against Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) at Stadio Friuli in Udine, Italy, on the 14th (Korea time). The Super Cup is a single-round match between the European Champions League (UCL) champion and the Europa League (UEL) winner of the previous season. PSG won UCL and Tottenham won UEL.
In the Super Cup, Thomas Frank, who took the helm of Tottenham, made his official debut in the game. On the 13th, he appointed Christian Romero as his new captain.
The start of the two combinations was fantastic. He swept two goals in a set piece. Mickey van der Penn in the 39th minute of the first half, Romero in the 3rd minute of the second half, and two center backs split the goal net. Coach Frank brought up the 3-5-2 system. After solidifying his defense, he played 'Silly Soccer' based on counterattacks.
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The set piece with two goals couldn't have been better. It was a sight he had not seen when he was coach Enze Postecoglou. Frank was a huge success with the set-piece strategy promised under Brentford.
Brentford scored 14 of the 66 goals he scored in the English Premier League (EPL) last season as a set-piece. It was the seventh set-piece after Arsenal, Crystal Palace, Nottingham Forest (17), Aston Villa (16), Brighton and Everton (15).
Keith Andrews was the coach who assisted Frank and was in charge of the set piece. He took the helm of Brentford in the new season when Frank left. Frank hired Andreas Georgson, who was involved with Arsenal and Manchester United as Tottenham's new set-piece coach.
But he didn't make it to the end. The hero of PSG's knot was Lee Kang-in. He was replaced by Warren Zaire-Emery in the 22nd minute of the second half when he was being dragged 0-2. In the 40th minute of the second half, when the defeat was heavy, he scored a chase goal with a left-footed mid-range shot that passed Vitinya's pass in front of the arc and stabbed into the corner of the goal.
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It was the prelude to the `Great Reversal Drama.' PSG brought the game to square one with a dramatic header from Gonzalo Hamus in the 49th minute of second-half stoppage time. The joys and sorrows were mixed in the penalty shootout. PSG got off to a dark start with Vitinya missing out on the first step. However, Tottenham's 3rd to 4th kickers, Van der Penn and Matisse Tel, failed to shake the goal net.
Lee Kang-in calmly scored the goal as the fourth kicker. PSG ended with Nuno Mendes as the last kicker.
PSG lifted its first Super Cup trophy since its foundation. Lee Kang-in has been recorded in history as the first Korean player to win the Super Cup and the goal.
Coach Frank was in a lot of pain. He said "I'm really proud of the players, the team, the club, the fans. I think the players did everything. At this point, he played perfectly for 75 to 80 minutes against the best team in the world."The game was mixed by a very small margin. The penalty shootout is like tossing a coin."
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And "We showed a tactical and practical appearance. Strong pressure and low defense, it was almost perfect. The set piece was very intimidating. We have shown that we can compete with any team in the world. This is the positive we got from today's game."
The background of the 3-5-2 system was decided the day after the friendly against Bayern Munich. I knew I had to do something different before PSG. It was a special operation. Medically speaking, the operation was successful. But the patient died. So it didn't end well. But we had a slightly different game plan and we were very close to success," he stressed. Tottenham suffered a crushing 0-4 defeat in the final rehearsal against Bayern Munich on the 8th.
The English Premier League (EPL) will open on the 16th in the 2025-2026 season. Tottenham will play Burnley in the opening round at 11 p.m. on the same day. Frank said, `You can tell from the look on the faces of the players and all of us, but I'm very disappointed. We need to be stronger. 24 hours or so will be disappointing, but you have to be ready to turn things around and start over. I'll prepare for Saturday's game well," he added.
On the other hand, Frank wants to strengthen the squad through 'TNT Sports'. No doubt it is. I'm generally happy with the team composition, but I want to make the team stronger before the transfer window closes," he stressed.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
