Trophée des Champions Throwback: PSG vs. Nantes in 1995
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The Trophée des Champions will usher in the 2025 French football calendar with AS Monaco taking on Paris Saint-Germain on January 5 at Stadium 974 in Doha, Qatar.
Ahead of this highly anticipated showdown, it’s worth revisiting the storied history of this annual clash between the Ligue 1 McDonald's champions and Coupe de France winners.
Today’s Trophée des Champions traces its roots back to 1995, but its origins go further. From 1955 to 1973, the Challenge des Champions brought the same competitive spirit, with brief revivals in 1985 and 1986.
The modern era began with a memorable inaugural edition in 1995, as PSG faced FC Nantes in a thrilling contest that set the stage for what has become a cherished tradition in French football.
PSG reached this third attempt of an annual after winning the Coupe de France in 1995. The Parisians defeated RC Strasbourg in a tightly contested 1-0 victory with the lone goal coming from Paul Le Guen.
On the other side of the match, Nantes reached the Trophée des Champions after winning the league in the 1994-95 season with 79 points and edging out Olympique Lyonnais, who was second in that campaign with 69 points.
As for the match, PSG opened the scoring against Nantes thanks to an early goal from Pascal Nouma in the fifth minute. Despite PSG taking an early 1-0 lead, Nantes turned the match around with two unanswered goals. Nicolas Ouédec struck in the 27th minute, followed by Benoît Cauet's effort in the 32nd.
Nantes' lead didn't last long as the capital club leveled the scoring in the 38th minute courtesy of a goal from Youri Djorkaeff. The final 45 minutes would be a scoreless affair as the 2-2 contest went to extra time, which didn't produce a goal, so the matchup went to a penalty kick shootout.
Le Guen, Djorkaeff, Raí, Nouma, Julio Dely Valdés, and Laurent Fournier were the goal scorers in the shootout for PSG. As for Nantes,
Bruno Carotti, Jocelyn Gourvennec, Reynald Pedros, and Cauet converted their penalties in the shootout, but the turning point came when Claude Makélélé, the former Chelsea and Real Madrid star, missed his attempt. The midfielder's miss sealed PSG's dramatic win in the first-ever Trophée des Champions.
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