Following defeat in the FIFA Club World Cup final, the European champions began determined not to let another FIFA crown pass them by, as João Neves steered the ball into the side netting from a Vitinha free-kick, before Lee Kang-in cut inside and sent a strike straight at Agustín Rossi.
Flamengo goalkeeper Rossi then earned a huge reprieve 11 minutes in, when his efforts to prevent a corner saw him present the ball to the Parisians, allowing Fabián Ruiz to hook the ball into the unguarded net. However, VAR determined that Rossi hadn’t prevented a corner, and the goal was disallowed.
Having weathered the early storm, Rubro-Negro began to show the form that had taken them on a seven-match unbeaten run, with a clean Erick Pulgar strike through a crowd and saved by Matvei Safonov, representing their best early chance.
Both sides received bookings in an increasingly combative half, in which Lee was forced off with injury after 35 minutes, only for his replacement, Senny Mayulu, to play a part in PSG taking the lead three minutes later.
PSG worked the ball nicely on the left before Mayulu took over in the middle, spread it out to Désiré Doué on the right, and centred a low ball that was missed by Rossi but not by Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, who tapped home.
Luis Enrique’s men looked to press home their advantage early in the second half, as Neves took aim with a firm strike that Rossi clutched well.
However, they failed to kill off the Copa Libertadores winners, who were handed a lifeline after an hour, when PSG’s Brazilian centre-back Marquinhos was adjudged by VAR to have fouled Giorgian de Arrascaeta in the area, allowing Jorginho to roll the resulting penalty past Safonov.
Flamengo’s reward for equalising was to receive a barrage of PSG pressure inside their own 18-yard box, but it wasn’t until 12 minutes from time that Rossi had anything to do, as he made a simple stop from Doué.
The UEFA Champions League winners threw on Ousmane Dembélé to be the difference-maker, but Filipe Luís could have won it in the final six minutes had Pedro and Léo Pereira’s chances not been met by vital blocks.
With the final kick of normal time, Marquinhos’ night got worse, as he failed to convert Dembélé’s drive across goal, sending the match to extra time.
Marquinhos’ next attempt to atone for the penalty concession saw him direct a header straight at Rossi, before Neves did the same when meeting a corner with a sweet half-volley.
After the break, neither Luiz Araújo nor Dembélé could keep their composure, and Bradley Barcola’s strike deflected wide, as a penalty shootout loomed.
In the shootout, the first two spot-kicks were scored before Safonov saved from Saúl Ñíguez, Pedro, Leo Pereira, and Araújo to be the hero for PSG, for whom Nuno Mendes was the only scorer of their next three penalties, but that was enough to win the shootout, 2-1.
A 50th win in all competitions in 2025 sees PSG sign off with a sixth trophy of the calendar year, as a 1981 triumph over Liverpool in the old Intercontinental Cup remains Flamengo’s only global title.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Matvei Safonov (Paris Saint-Germain)