PSG thrash Inter Milan 5–0 to clinch first Champions League title
Paris Saint-Germain made history on Saturday, clinching their first-ever UEFA Champions League title with a stunning 5-0 victory over Inter Milan in the most lopsided final in the competition's history.
Teenage sensation Désiré Doué was the star of the show, netting twice and providing an assist for the opening goal, News.Az reports.
The PSG forward played a pivotal role in the dominant win at Munich’s Allianz Arena, where Achraf Hakimi, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, and substitute Senny Mayulu also got on the scoresheet.
PSG's early dominance was evident when Hakimi opened the scoring in the 12th minute, calmly side-footing in a pass from Doué. The Parisians doubled their lead just eight minutes later when a determined piece of defending from Willian Pacho kept the ball in play, sparking a rapid counter-attack that ended with Doué's deflected shot finding the back of the net, beyond Inter goalkeeper Yann Sommer.
The third goal came courtesy of a brilliant build-up. Midfielder Vitinha's surging run through the midfield, combined with precise passes from Ousmane Dembélé, created space for Doué, who drilled the ball past Sommer to make it 3-0.
With the match already out of Inter's reach, Kvaratskhelia added a fourth with a superb low finish, and 19-year-old Mayulu completed the scoring, finishing off a slick passing move to round out PSG’s triumphant night.
The victory sees PSG become just the second French club to win the prestigious European trophy, following in the footsteps of Marseille’s 1993 triumph.
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The UEFA Champions League final between Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Milan has officially kicked off in Bayern, drawing global attention as two European giants clash for the prestigious title.
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Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Milan have announced their starting line-ups for their highly anticipated encounter.
The match, officiated by Romanian referee István Kovács, features a host of star names on both sides.
PSG vs. Inter line-ups
PSG: Donnarumma; Hakimi, Marquinhos, Pacho, Nuno Mendes; Joao Neves, Vitinha, Fabian Ruiz; Doué, Dembélé, Kvaratskhelia
PSG bench: Safonov, Tenas, Kimpembe, Goncalo Ramos, Lee, L Hernandez, Mayulu, Barcola, Zaire-Emery, Lucas Beraldo, Mbaye
Inter: Sommer; Pavard, Acerbi, Bastoni; Dumfries, Barella, Calhanoglu, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco; Lautaro Martinez, Thuram
Inter bench: Di Gennaro, J Martinez, De Vrij, Zielinski, Arnautovic, Frattesi, Asllani, Carlos Augusto, Bisseck, Darmian, Zalewski, Taremi Ref: Kovacs (ROU)
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The 2024/25 UEFA Champions League season reaches its climax at the iconic Allianz Arena in Munich, where Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) will take on three-time winners Inter Milan in a highly anticipated final.
PSG will be appearing in just their second Champions League final, having lost their first to German side Bayern Munich in 2020.
For PSG manager, Luis Enrique, it is just the latest chapter in his record of climbing to new highs – first from release by Real Madrid, as a youngster, and then by winning the 2015 title treble at Barcelona as a coach, the club where he also made his name as a player.
Road to the final
PSG, backed by owners Qatar Sports Investments, booked their place in the Champions League final earlier in May. The Paris-based side beat Arsenal 2-1 at the Parc des Princes, winning their semifinal tie with a 3-1 aggregate scoreline.
Inter Milan beat Barcelona 7-6 on aggregate, with the second leg in Italy going to extra time despite the Spanish club leading in injury time in normal time.
How did PSG and Inter fare in their league seasons?
Inter Milan finished second in Serie A in a dramatic final round showdown with Napoli, who began the final day with a one point advantage.
Once Napoli won their final game against Cagliari to seal the league title, Inter’s title charge was over, despite a hard-fought 2-0 win against Como.
PSG were dominant in the 2024-25 Ligue 1 season, wrapping up the domestic title by an incredible 19 points – and that was despite slacking off towards the end of the season with three straight winless matches to end their campaign.
Their last outing, however, was the French Cup final, which resulted in a 3-0 win against Reims last Saturday.
Battle of the French forwards: Dembele vs Thuram
PSG’s gifted French forward, Ousmane Dembele, overcame a slow start to the season to reel off one of the greatest offensive performances in Europe this season.
In 50 appearances this season, the 27-year-old Dembele scored 32 goals – and he was huge part of an incredible 30-match unbeaten league run by PSG.
Inter Milan’s French international Marcus Thuram has netted 18 goals in 52 appearances this season.
Son of Lilian Thuram, a legendary French World Cup winner, Marcus was born in Italy, where his father was representing Parma at the time.
The 27-year-old has scored twice for France in 29 appearances for his country, and has proved a fine foil for Inter’s top scorer this season, Lautaro Martinez.
Where will the final be played
The 2024/25 UEFA Champions League final will take place at the Munich Football Arena.
The 75,000 seat venue, better known as Allianz Arena, is the home of current German Bundesliga winners Bayern Munich.
It’s the first time a German venue has held the Champions League final since 2012.
Have PSG ever played Inter?
This will be the first time that Inter and PSG meet in a competitive fixture.
The teams last played in a preseason friendly on August 1, 2023 at the Japan National Stadium in Tokyo. Inter won the contest 2-1 with Stefano Sensi scoring the game-winner in the 83rd minute.
Why did star player Hakimi leave Inter for PSG?
Current PSG defender Achraf Hakimi last played for Inter Milan in the 2020-21 season.
The Spanish-born speedy right-back, widely regarded as one of the best full-backs in the world, was a casualty of Inter’s huge cost-cutting drive caused, in large part, by the financial debts attributed to the COVID-19 shutdown period.
Hakimi appeared in 37 matches for the Italian giants, scoring seven goals and racking up eight assists as Inter won their first domestic league title since 2010.
Team News: PSG
Out: None
Doubtful: None
Enrique has a fully fit squad to choose from, no doubt boosted by the fact that PSG wrapped up the French top flight with six games to spare – thereafter managing the players’ workloads in the run-up to the final.
Team News: Inter Milan
Out: None
Doubtful: Bisseck (knee), Pavard (ankle), Zielinski (muscular)
Inter pushed champions Napoli to the wire in Serie A – which concluded last Friday – so will inevitably feel heavier in the legs.
Inter fullback Benjamin Pavard and striker Lautaro Martinez are both expected to be fully fit, with the latter having returned to the bench in recent matches.
“My wish is to have everyone available on Saturday evening,” Inzaghi said. “We’re going to approach the final in the best possible way.”
Possible lineups:
PSG: Donnarumma; Hakimi, Marquinhos, Pacho, Nuno Mendes; Joao Neves, Vitinha, Fabian Ruiz; Kvaratskhelia, Dembele, Barcola
Inter Milan: Sommer; Pavard, Acerbi, Bastoni; Dumfries, Barella, Calhanoglu, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco; Lautaro Martinez, Thuram
Form guide
PSG (all competitions, most recent first):
W-W-W-W-L
Inter Milan (all competitions, most recent first):
W-D-W-W-W
What the managers had to say
Luis Enrique, PSG manager: “It’s Inter Milan’s second final in three years. They’re ready. They’ve not made too many changes to their side. It’s a team that dominates from set pieces. It’s up to us to go into the final in the right frame of mind.
“We’ve grown a lot this season and the players have progressed a lot. I think the strength of the team is the most important thing. You learn something every day after many years of experience as a coach, and I’m improving all the time with this group.”
Simone Inzaghi, Inter Milan manager: “The players did something extraordinary. We played four amazing games against two world-class teams like Bayern and Barcelona. It was great to celebrate this achievement [reaching the final] here with our fans.”
What is the prize money
Winner: €20m ($22.5m)
Runners-up: €15.5m ($17.5m)
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