Osmane Dembele strengthens grasp on ballon d'Or - MyJoyOnline

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It wasn't easy, it wasn't pretty, it wasn't convincing. But somehow, someway, Paris Saint-Germain came away from the UEFA SuperCup with the trophy in Udine, Italy.

After a season that saw them finish 17th in the Premier League as well as end a 17-year trophy drought by winning the UEFA Europa League title, Tottenham went through a transformative summer that saw them replace manager Ange Postecoglou with Thomas Frank, sell attacking talisman Heung Min-Son to LAFC, as well as bring in Joao Palhinha and Mohammed Kudus, both of whom made their competitive debut on Wednesday.

With star striker Dominic Solanke recovering from injury as well as other key players like Destiny Udogie, James Maddison, and Dejan Kulusevski unavailable, Spurs entered the match as the overwhelming underdogs. However, they certainly didn't show on the pitch, as Tottenham took the initiative from the start and picked apart PSG's lackadaisical possession play as well as costly giveaways, putting Lucas Chevalier under severe pressure from the get-go.

They eventually got their just rewards as Mickey van de Ven opened the scoring before the interval, whilst their other center back - Cristian Romero - doubled their lead on the other side of halftime with yet another set-piece goal.

Les Parisiens looked pedestrian throughout nearly the entire contest, but they nevertheless managed to grow into the game during the final half-hour thanks to inspired substitutions from PSG manager Luis Enrique.

Whilst many would have deemed the entrance of midfielder Fabian Ruiz for winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia overly defensive-minded, especially down two goals, the Spaniard's entrance proved vital for PSG to shore up possession and finally put Spurs under consistent pressure, as did the arrivals of Ibrahim Mbaye, Kang-in Lee, and Goncalo Ramos. Lee halved the deficit in the 85th minute with a well-drilled rocket from outside the box, injecting new life into an otherwise drab affair. PSG continued to pin their opponent deep, recycling possession around the opposing box and seeking to pierce Spurs' veil.

They finally got their answer in the 94th minute as Achraf Hakimi teed up Ousmane Dembele on the edge of the box, with the Frenchman dialing up a world-class cross into the box for Ramos to head home and force a shootout.

Despite falling down 1-0 after Vitinha's opening effort sailed wide, PSG would end up winning 4-3 as Ramos, Dembele, Lee and Nuno Mendes converted their spotkicks to secure their first-ever UEFA SuperCup. It is a trophy that is 29 years in the making, having lost 9-2 to Juventus across two legs in their first-ever trip to the annual event in 1996, and it is yet another reminder why PSG are the best team in world football.

Despite only just returning to training a few days ago, PSG demonstrated why they are mentality monsters by completing an improbable comeback and snatching victory from the jaws of defeat. As for Dembele, he proved why he is the frontrunner to win the 69th edition of the Ballon d'Or, the annual award given to the best footballer in the world.

Dembele racked up 35 goals and 16 assists in 53 appearances to lead PSG to a second-straight domestic treble and a first-ever UEFA Champions League title, whilst he also helped them reach the FIFA Club World Cup Final. And whilst he looked somewhat indecisive and inefficient on Wednesday, he nevertheless made an impact on proceedings and helped them come away with yet another piece of silverware. Dembele completed 39 out of 42 passes and two out of three dribbles, won three out of four ground duels, and completed four out of five long balls and three key passes.

Long considered a failed wonderkid, Dembele has taken his game to a different stratosphere since the start of the 2024/25 season and filled Kylian Mbappe's void in attack following the latter's move to Real Madrid. And when the Ballon d'Or ceremony takes place on September 22 at the Theatre du Chatelet, there's every reason to believe that Dembele will be the one lifting the prestigious award