PSG and Flamengo: Nuno Mendes pays tribute to Safonov and the team

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·18 December 2025

PSG and Flamengo: Nuno Mendes pays tribute to Safonov and the team

This Wednesday evening, Paris Saint-Germain won in a penalty shootout (1-1, then 3-1, video summary PSG/Flamengo) against Flamengo in the final of the 2025 Intercontinental Cup at the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium in Al Rayyan, Doha (Qatar). Nuno Mendes returned to the mixed zone to express his joy after this new title and did not forget to praise Matvey Safonov, the 26-year-old goalkeeper and hero of the evening.

Nuno Mendes "It's a pride to make history for the club"

"It was a complicated match. We said thank you (to Safonov). We obviously thanked him. He showed today (that he was effective in the penalty exercise), I am happy for him. He is a very nice person, who laughs with everyone. We are happy to have him with us. On and off the field, he is an incredible person. We try to train for penalties, I think today we were good. We missed two (Ousmane Dembélé and Bradley Barcola), but Matvey was there for us by stopping four penalties. It's a pride to make history for the club. Every year that passes, we realize that we are an even bigger team. We have a winning mentality, and I think that's what made the difference."

We won't say that without Safonov PSG would have lost the match, but he was one of the key players in this encounter. He stopped 4 shots, single-handedly dominating the penalty shootout. Nuno Mendes' tribute is legitimate for this discreet guy, who doesn't get the exposure he clearly deserves.

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This does not take away from the great quality of his "rival" Lucas Chevalier. PSG climbs to the top of the world, and it's normal to see the joy on the players' faces, the pride. The Parisian mentality once again helped the team get out of a tough spot. A match without, but still a victory, we only remember the winners and the Parisians have learned not to lose this kind of encounter.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇫🇷 here.