Paris Saint-Germain retains UEFA Super Cup as Doué goal seals 2-1 win over Aston Villa

Paris Saint-Germain won the UEFA Super Cup for a second straight year by beating Aston Villa 2-1 on Wednesday thanks to Désiré Doué’s second-half goal in the annual curtain-raiser to the European soccer season.

Doué’s 61st-minute strike after running onto Ousmane Dembélé's pass was initially ruled out for offside, only for the goal to be awarded following a video review.

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s powerfully struck opener in the 20th was canceled out by a volley from Brian Madjo, a 17-year-old striker making his competitive debut for Villa days after getting approval to play following a dispute with FIFA over his registration.

It’s the first of a possible six trophies this season for PSG, which became the first team to win back-to-back Super Cup titles since Real Madrid (2016 and ’17).

The Super Cup is an annual early-season match between the most recent winners of the Champions League (PSG) and Europa League (Villa).

The game in Salzburg, Austria, was refereed by Omar Artan, the Somali who was barred by the United States from officiating at the World Cup days before the start of FIFA’s tournament because of vetting concerns. U.S. officials claimed Artan had connections to terror organizations, though without providing proof.

UEFA responded by picking Artan — a referee judged the best in Africa last season — to take charge of the Super Cup in a powerplay by European soccer’s governing body amid its increasing disconnect with FIFA.

That disharmony has increased since, with UEFA leading the campaign to oust Gianni Infantino from the FIFA presidency over his recent — aborted — plan to sell an interest in the World Cup.

Artan was the first non-European referee to take charge of the Super Cup.

After winning five titles last season, PSG is back on the trophy trail already — and could pick up a second in the 2026-27 campaign when it takes on Lens in the Trophée des Champions on Sunday. That's a match between last season's league and cup winners in France.

Doué was one of the PSG players who only returned to training on Monday following the World Cup, but he was handed a start by coach Luis Enrique and proved to be the matchwinner.

The 21-year-old forward ran through unchallenged after latching onto Dembélé's pass behind the Villa defense and curled a left-foot shot into the far corner. The offside flag was then raised but a check by the VAR showed that Villa right back Matty Cash was keeping Doué onside.

Artan awarded the goal after the review and Doué punched the air in delight.

Kvaratskhelia was PSG's standout player of the first half and his goal was mesmeric as he cut in from the left and lashed a fierce, rising shot inside the near post.

Remember the name: Brian Madjo.

It was quite the debut by the powerfully built teenager who was born in north London, has played three friendly matches for Luxembourg, and now has decided to represent England.

Madjo joined Villa from French club Metz in January but FIFA blocked his registration because its transfer rules limit international moves by players under the age of 18. Villa appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport and it was upheld last week, allowing him to make his club debut as the youngest player to feature in a Super Cup.

He caused havoc at times for PSG's elite center-half duo of Willian Pacho and Marquinhos and could have scored two or three goals before finally getting on the scoresheet by meeting John McGinn's cross with a volley into the roof of the net.

Moments earlier, Madjo had bundled past Pacho and hit the post with a shot.

It was a fourth straight loss in the Super Cup for Villa manager Unai Emery, whose other losses came with Sevilla (twice) and Villarreal.

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

PSG's players lift the trophy during celebrations at the end of the UEFA Super Cup soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Aston Villa in Salzburg, Austria, Wednesday, Aug.12, 2026. (AP Photo/Heinz-Peter Bader)

PSG's Vitinha lifts the trophy during celebrations at the end of the UEFA Super Cup soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Aston Villa in Salzburg, Austria, Wednesday, Aug.12, 2026. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

PSG's Ousmane Dembele, left, talks with PSG's Warren Zaire-Emery, center, as they celebrate PSG's Desire Doue scoring their side's second goal during the UEFA Super Cup soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Aston Villa in Salzburg, Austria, Wednesday, Aug.12, 2026. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

Referee Omar Artan waits for the start of the UEFA Super Cup soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Aston Villa in Salzburg, Austria, Wednesday, Aug.12, 2026. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

Aston Villa's Brian Madjo, right, celebrates after scoring his side's first goal during the UEFA Super Cup soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Aston Villa in Salzburg, Austria, Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)

PSG's Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, down, celebrates with PSG's Desire Doue, up, after scoring his side's first goal, during the UEFA Super Cup soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Aston Villa in Salzburg, Austria, Wednesday, Aug.12, 2026. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

PSG's Desire Doue celebrates after scoring his side's second goal during the UEFA Super Cup soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Aston Villa in Salzburg, Austria, Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Heinz-Peter Bader)

Aston Villa's John McGinn, right, and Ross Barkley attend a training session in Birmingham, England, Tuesday Aug. 11, 2026. (Nick Potts/PA via AP)

Aston Villa's head coach Unai Emery speaks during a press conference ahead of the UEFA Super Cup soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Aston Villa in Salzburg, Austria, Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)

PSG's Maghnes Akliouche connects with the ball during a training session ahead of the UEFA Super Cup soccer match against Aston Villa in Salzburg, Austria, Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

PSG's head coach Luis Enrique sits on a ball during a training session ahead of the UEFA Super Cup soccer match against Aston Villa in Salzburg, Austria, Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

LONDON (AP) — Large parts of western Europe were sweltering once again on Thursday, with Britain and France entering their fifth heat waves of an exceptional summer that's threatening to break even more records.

Forecasters in the U.K. are predicting the mercury will rise as high as 38 Celsius (100 Fahrenheit) in central and southeast England, potentially making it the hottest day of the year. The highest temperature this year was recorded on June 26 when the temperature hit 38 C in eastern England.

The U.K.’s Met Office said earlier this week that only average conditions were needed for the rest of August to beat last year’s record for the hottest year.

Temperatures in France, meanwhile, are forecast to go even higher, reaching 40 degrees C (104 F) in central and southern areas and 38 C in Paris.

This summer has shown that both Britain and France are ill-equipped to deal with these levels of heat. Air conditioning is a rarity outside of shops and offices, for example.

In Britain, it emerged Thursday that working has been particularly difficult in hospitals, where nurses have been known to collapse from heat exhaustion, according to the Royal College of Nursing.

“When nursing staff are collapsing, feeling dizzy, sick or even being admitted to the very hospitals they work in because their workplaces cannot handle the heat, it shows just how badly they are being failed,” said Nicola Ranger, the college's chief executive and general secretary.

Like many parts of Europe, Britain and France are facing widespread drought conditions that have shriveled crops and drained rivers, heaping pressure on water resources for households, agriculture and the environment, and forcing governments and water users to seek both short- and long-term measures to mitigate the effects of human-caused climate change.

Britain's Southern Water, which oversees supplies in the south of England, has applied for a rare drought order which would ban businesses from nonessential water use, including cleaning cars and filling nondomestic swimming pools, saying an “exceptional” lack of rain has threatened supplies in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. Environment Secretary Angela Eagle will decide on the application, which would be the first such ban since May 2006.

With the land parched and no sign of any meaningful rain coming, authorities in Britain and France remain on high alert for wildfires.

In Britain, which is increasingly looking sandy brown rather than its traditional luscious green, firefighters have been out in force this week trying to contain a wildfire in the New Forest in southern England.

Some 1,017 wildfires have been recorded in England and Wales this year, according to data from the National Fire Chiefs Council, the same as last year’s record-breaking total.

Though not on the same level as those witnessed in France, Greece and Spain, they provide ample evidence of the need for the U.K. to adjust to a new reality.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said he will consider imposing a ban on disposable barbecues amid the risk of further wildfires as extreme heat continues to grip parts of the U.K.

“I do believe we need to get the message out loud and clear,” he said. “People should not be using those barbecues outside at this moment in time.”

French firefighters were back in action too after a desperate summer and are threatening to go on strike to demand more staff and resources to cope with increasingly extreme weather events.

One broke out late Wednesday in the northern Pas-de-Calais region, and another in Brittany, far from the hotter, drier and more fire-prone regions in southern France. A historic fire devoured forests near Bordeaux last month and pushed a quarter of a million people from their homes.

Charlton reported from Paris.

A woman sits in front of the Houses of Parliament in London, Monday, Aug. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

A general view of Greenwich Park amid dried grass in London, Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

The 'Summer Pit' water reservoir on the Elveden Estate shows low water levels amid a nationwide drought, in Thetford, England, Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Mustakim Hasnath)

People sit on dried grass in a park outside the Houses of Parliament in London, Monday, Aug. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

A man sits on a bench in Greenwich Park amid dried grass in London, Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)