PSG won the Gambardella Cup against Montpellier (3-2) on Friday night at the Stade de France, with Jangeal scoring the winning penalty in the final second.
It had been 35 years since PSG last won a second title in the “Coupe de France des jeunes”. Earlier in the evening, Lens faced Nice to win the prestigious trophy (kick-off scheduled for 9 pm), but a few hours later, as is tradition, two teams composed of players under 18 years old played the first match at the Stade de France on Friday night, during the Gambardella Cup final. The match remained uncertain until Mathis Jangeal scored the decisive penalty in the final seconds, allowing Parisians to beat Montpellier (3-2, s.p., 90th+6).
A title won by ten against eleven
At 17 years old, PSG’s number 9 had already scored to equalize for his team at the end of the first half with a strong right-footed shot (2-2, 40th). Jangeal, who had appeared twice with the senior team this season (a few minutes in Ligue 1 and a half in the Coupe de France), helped the Red and Blue team stay focused during the final, despite conceding an early goal by Younes Idder with a powerful cross shot (1-0, 12th).
Montpellier, a regular contender in the Gambardella Cup (six finals) and champions in 1996, 2009, and 2017, quickly equalized with a beautiful goal by Noah Vidal with a left-footed shot into the top corner (1-1, 18th), before taking the lead with a well-executed team effort by striker Robin Thiland-Hérard (1-2, 21st). However, it was not enough, as they played with ten men for thirty minutes after a red card for David Boly following a foul by Samba Coulibaly (66th). Given the match scenario and the happy ending, the Paris club will surely not complain.
