Matvei Safonov (26) fueled the goalkeeper debate at Paris St. Germain with his brilliant performance in the Intercontinental Cup. Now the question has been resolved involuntarily for the time being.
As PSG announced on Friday, Safonov broke his left hand in the Intercontinental Cup final and will now be out for the long term – at least three to four weeks. A new examination will then take place to provide more detailed information about the fracture. For the 26-year-old Russian, the diagnosis is a heavy blow after his biggest moment so far since he moved to Paris from FK Krasnodar in the summer of 2024.
In the penalty shootout against Copa Libertadores winners Flamengo Rio de Janeiro on Wednesday evening, regular substitute goalkeeper Safonov saved four consecutive attempts by the Brazilians, securing PSG’s next trophy of the year. This reignited the debate about the Champions League winners’ goalkeeper position – but only briefly, as it now turns out.
In his first year at PSG, Safonov was the clear number two behind Gianluigi Donnarumma – and was expected to retain this role even after the Italian’s departure and the signing of Lucas Chevalier from Lille. However, Chevalier did not always impress in his early days, struggled to cope with the pressure of following in Donnarumma’s footsteps, and rarely reproduced the strong performances he was known for at Lille.
When Chevalier injured his ankle in a rough tackle by opponent Lamine Camara during the 0-1 defeat in Monaco at the end of November, it was Safonov’s chance to shine. He was given the starting spot in the league against Metz and in the Intercontinental Cup against Flamengo, even after Chevalier’s return. This gave the Russian hope that he would remain in goal for the French side, at least for the time being. That will not be the case now.
Instead, Chevalier is likely to be back between the posts for Saturday’s cup match against fifth-division side Vendee Fontenay Foot and will also feature in the first games after the winter break, with Ligue 1 resuming on the first weekend of January. The only other goalkeeper in the squad is 19-year-old Italian Renato Marin.