Emery proud of Villa performance despite PSG defeat in UEFA Super Cup

Unai Emery said Aston Villa could take pride in their performance against Paris Saint-Germain but insisted there was no reason to feel happy after losing the UEFA Super Cup.

Paris Saint-Germain retained the trophy with a 2-1 victory over Aston Villa at the Red Bull Arena in Salzburg, Austria. It was their second consecutive UEFA Super Cup triumph.

“We were competitive, but we cannot feel happy after losing,” Emery told TNT Sports.

Villa created opportunities and produced an encouraging display against the French champions, although they were unable to complete a comeback after falling behind in the second half.

“We had chances to score and the players’ performance makes us extremely proud of what we did against Paris Saint-Germain,” added the Aston Villa manager.

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia opened the scoring for Paris Saint-Germain in the 20th minute, before Aston Villa levelled shortly before half-time. Brian Madjo found the net in the 45th minute to make it 1-1 at the interval.

Desire Doue restored Paris Saint-Germain’s advantage in the 61st minute, and Luis Enrique’s side held on to secure another piece of silverware.

Emery also highlighted the value of giving young forward Brian Madjo experience in a fixture of such importance.

“Brian Madjo’s participation in matches like this is very important, and we trained the players in these positions,” he said.

Villa trio to join squad after final

Emery revealed that Emiliano Martinez, Ezri Konsa and Ollie Watkins would join the Aston Villa squad after the match, but would not feature in the club’s final pre-season friendly on Saturday.

“Emiliano Martinez, Ezri Konsa and Ollie Watkins will join us after the match, and we will play a final friendly on Saturday in which the three of them will not participate,” said Emery.

The trio were given four weeks off after what Emery described as a demanding season. He said the club believed it was preferable to work with players who were physically ready.

“We gave the three of them four weeks off because the season was very demanding, and we believe it is better to work with players who are physically ready,” Emery added.

Emery accepted that changes would be required at Aston Villa but remained confident in the group.

“In the end, we can be proud of what we have achieved and there will be a need for some changes, but we have complete confidence,” he said.

Paris Saint-Germain won last season’s UEFA Super Cup against Tottenham Hotspur on penalties. The latest victory gave the club a second successive success in the competition.

Luis Enrique has now guided Paris Saint-Germain to the 13th trophy of his career with the French club, from 16 competitions contested during his time in charge.

Paris Saint-Germain have also won the past two editions of the UEFA Champions League, leaving them one title short of matching the historic achievement held by Real Madrid.

The match was refereed by Somalia’s Omar Artan, marking the first time in the history of the UEFA Super Cup that a non-European referee had taken charge.

Artan had been left out of the 2026 World Cup after United States authorities refused to issue him with an entry visa, despite him having arrived at the airport. UEFA subsequently compensated him for his exclusion by appointing him to officiate the UEFA Super Cup.

The defeat was Emery’s fourth in a UEFA Super Cup final. He has now lost all four finals he has contested, in 2014, 2015, 2021 and 2026.