After the revisions, the pressure management and the sporting exploit, it was time to give way to emotion. Author of four saves during the penalty shootout of the Intercontinental Cup final, Matvey Safonov remained straight as a statue when his final save sealed the Parisian victory against Flamengo (1-1, 2-1 on the tabs). The Russian goalkeeper let his joy burst once his teammates threw themselves on him to carry him in triumph.
The former Krasnodar man also offered a few words in good French at the microphone of M 6 to describe the significance of this sixth coronation for Paris Saint-Germain in 2025. “It’s a part of our history, it’s been exceptional. It was a very difficult match, 120 very difficult minutes, a lot of nerves, a lot of emotions. All these trophies are incredible. As we have won a lot of trophies, we will continue,” he smiled.
The 26-year-old goalkeeper spoke about his personal case, he who has been mostly confined to the sidelines since his arrival in the capital in the summer of 2024. “For me, it’s magnificent, but I think that for the moment, I don’t realize, it’s a lot of emotions. Because it’s true that it’s difficult. It’s the first grand final of my career, I left a lot of emotions. For me it’s incredible,” he described.
Safonov took advantage of Lucas Chevalier’s absence in the best possible way. If the former LOSC goalkeeper could claim the place in front of the cages on Wednesday evening, the Russian was preferred after three convincing starts. The fourth was the most beautiful of all.
