PSG Defeat Roma on Penalty Kicks to Win 2017 ICC Opener

Paris Saint-Germain's recent dominance at the International Champions Cup continued Wednesday with a victory over AS Roma on penalty kicks (5-3) after a 1-1 regulation draw.

The match took place in Detroit's Comerica Park, and Marquinhos scored the final penalty to propel PSG to victory after Roma's Gerson missed his attempt. It was more of the same for PSG, who won all three of their games during last year's ICC.

American fans were treated to a back-and-forth match, and Marquinhos also opened the scoring in the first half for the French Ligue 1 side. Roma, who play in the Italian Serie A, countered with a goal from Umar Sadiq in the second half to set up the penalties.

PSG were deserved winners considering they controlled the majority of play. According to ESPN FC, Les Parisiens enjoyed 58 percent of possession and 14 shots compared to Roma's five. What's more, their five corner kicks to Roma's two were an indication of how they dictated tempo and possessed the ball in scoring areas.

Despite PSG's statistical advantages, neither side capitalized on any scoring chances early in the first half. PSG's Jese Rodriguez broke free behind the Roma defense in the best opportunity, but a well-timed tackle prevented a clean shot on goal.

Marquinhos didn't miss his chance when he buried a close-range look at the 36th minute.

There were plenty of second-half substitutions for both sides, and as Jonathan Johnson of ESPN.co.uk noted, PSG didn't even have Serge Aurier, Hatem Ben Arfa and Grzegorz Krychowiak for the contest.

Two of those substitutions paid off for Roma, as Sadiq scored the equalizer in the 60th minute off a brilliantly placed assist from Gerson. While the latter lost some of the goodwill he built up with the pass later in the game because of his missed penalty kick, his lofted ball was one of the best plays of the contest.

The team reacted to the critical goal:

There was no shortage of opportunities during the closing stretch, as things started to open up for the two offenses. However, goalkeepers Alphonse Areola (PSG) and Alisson (Roma) stood strong, and the defenses stopped a handful of set pieces and runs into open space.

Blaise Matuidi, in particular, had a couple of chances for PSG, and a corner kick in stoppage time put a scare into Roma before it went wide.

Both sides will turn their attention toward Tottenham Hotspur for their upcoming contests in the ICC.

Roma will square off with Spurs at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey, on Tuesday, while PSG will face them Saturday at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Florida.