On Wednesday evening, Paris Saint-Germain defeated Flamengo on penalties (1-1, then 3-1) in the final of the 2025 Intercontinental Cup at the Ahmad-ben-Ali Al Rayyan Stadium in Doha, Qatar. Nuno Mendes spoke in the mixed zone about his joy after this latest title and made sure to praise Matvey Safonov, the 26-year-old goalkeeper and hero of the evening.
Nuno Mendes: “It’s an honor to make history for the club.”
“It was a tough match. We thanked Safonov. We thanked him, of course. He showed today that he’s effective with penalties, and I’m happy for him. He’s a great guy, always joking around with everyone. We’re happy to have him with us.
On and off the pitch, he’s an incredible person.” We try to practice penalty shootouts, and I think we were good today. We missed two (Ousmane Dembélé and Bradley Barcola), but Matvey was there for us, saving four penalties.
It’s an honor to make history for the club. Every year that passes, we realize we’re an even bigger team. We have a winning mentality, and I think that’s what made the difference.
We’re not going to say that PSG would have lost the match without Safonov, but he was one of the key players in this game. He saved four shots; he single-handedly dominated the penalty shootout. Nuno Mendes’ praise is well-deserved for this unassuming young man, who clearly doesn’t get the exposure he deserves.
This doesn’t diminish the great quality of his “rival,” Lucas Chevalier. PSG has reached the pinnacle of world football, and it’s only natural to see the joy and pride on the players’ faces. The Parisian mentality once again helped the team get out of a tight spot. It was an off day, but a victory nonetheless; only winners are remembered, and the Parisians have learned not to lose these kinds of matches.
