​Aston Villa may have fallen to a narrow 2-1 defeat against UEFA Champions League holders Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Super Cup, but manager Unai Emery walked away with plenty of positives after a courageous display from his youthful side.

​Playing at the Red Bull Arena in Salzburg, a depleted Villa side missing key names like Ollie Watkins, Ezri Konsa, and Emiliano Martinez—who were given extended rest following their World Cup exertions—relied heavily on their academy prospects. Teenagers Brian Madjo and George Hemmings seized the opportunity to perform on the grandest stage.

​History Maker Brian Madjo

​PSG initially broke the deadlock in the 20th minute through Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s powerful strike. However, Villa responded brilliantly on the stroke of half-time. Capitalizing on a cross from captain John McGinn, 17-year-old striker Brian Madjo showed exceptional strength to hold off defender Willian Pacho before slotting a brilliant left-footed volley past Matvei Safonov.

​In doing so, Madjo etched his name into the history books. At 17 years and 212 days old, he became the youngest-ever player to score in the UEFA Super Cup, breaking a record previously held by Ajax legend Patrick Kluivert since 1996.

​Emery Applauds Fearless Performance

​While Désiré Doué restored PSG’s lead in the 61st minute—a goal that survived a VAR offside check—Villa continued to push hard for an equaliser, with Hemmings and João Gomes both going close.

​Reflecting on the match, Unai Emery expressed immense pride in how his young squad handled the pressure against elite European opposition:

​“With a loss, you can never feel happy, but how we competed, how the players responded on the field for 90 minutes… and with our chances to score, we must feel really very proud of what we have done today.”