Sky Sports assesses Paris Saint-Germain’s thumping 5-0 Champions League final over Inter Milan in Munich, as the French champions won the title for the first time and are now eyeing more silverware in the months ahead, including in August against English opposition…
End of ‘bling-bling’ era brings true glitz for PSG
In the 79th minute, with PSG cruising at 4-0, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia sprinted back from his left-wing position to rob Inter wing-back Denzel Dumfries of the ball and then force the Dutchman into fouling him.
It is a work ethic that epitomises how PSG are now a team under boss Luis Enrique.
For years, PSG had pursued the ‘Galacticos’ route, but with a front three of Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe the team essentially defended with eight players.
Enrique knew PSG had to move on from the ‘bling-bling’ era if they were to build a Champions League-winning side, and that has emphatically proven to be the case.
The pressing and work rate of his front three of Ousmane Dembele, Desire Doue and Kvaratskhelia in Munich on Saturday was evident from the first whistle to the last.
Their relentless harrying helped contribute to one of the all-time great European final displays, with their 5-0 win the biggest margin of victory in a Champions League final.
The Parisians were a joy to watch in Germany as they cut Inter open at will, with PSG’s jaw-dropping third goal scored by Doue embodying what Enrique’s side are all about.
PSG eye more glory in months ahead
Having won the Champions League, Ligue 1 and the Coupe de France, PSG now have the opportunity to win the quadruple this season at this summer’s Club World Cup.
“We’re going to approach it seriously,” said Enrique of the tournament after victory in Munich.
PSG begin their Club World Cup campaign in the USA on June 15 and will be hoping for more glory come July 13.
Then, their attentions will turn to August’s UEFA Super Cup, where they will face Europa League winners Tottenham, who are sure to be quaking in their boots at facing this French juggernaut.
Spurs’ narrow and tense Europa League final win over Manchester United in Bilbao was light years behind PSG’s compelling and dominant victory over Inter.
Enrique’s side have had no problem in dealing with English opposition this season, having defeated four Premier League sides – Manchester City, Liverpool, Aston Villa and Arsenal – on their run to Champions League glory.
A fifth Premier League scalp on August 13 in Udine, Italy, looks highly likely on the evidence of the two finals.
Age catches up with Inter Milan
It was yet another last-hurdle failure for Inter Milan.
The Serie A side have now lost four of their last five Champions League finals – only Juventus (7), Benfica (5) and Bayern Munich (5) have finished runners-up on more occasions than Inter (4).
Saturday’s final in Munich saw age finally catch up with this Inter side.
The average age of PSG’s starting line-up (25y 96d) was five years and 146 days younger than Inter’s (30y 242d) – the biggest ever age gap between two starting XIs in a Champions League. And it told.
Inter’s midfield of Henrikh Mkhitaryan (36), Hakan Calhanoglu (31) and Nico Barella (28) were overrun by the hustle and bustle of PSG’s youthful midfield trio of Joao Neves (20), Vitinha (25) and Fabian Ruiz (29).
Inter were bamboozled by football from the next generation as they ended the season trophyless, despite having been on course for the treble in April.
The defeat to PSG is likely to start a major reset for them with boss Simone Inzaghi facing an uncertain future, having been heavily linked with a move to Saudi Pro League club Al Hilal, while the ageing squad needs freshening up.
Raucous PSG fans help Munich deliver a first-time winner again
Before kick-off in the stadium, there was a real sense that this mattered just that bit more to PSG’s fans.
They were louder than their Italian counterparts and did not stop singing throughout the contest.
They generated a superb atmosphere, which had been absent at their previous Champions League final as they were beaten by Bayern Munich at an empty Estadio du Luz during the coronavirus pandemic.
Five years on, their fans showed what they had been missing in Lisbon as they helped their side to become just the second French winners of the competition since fierce rivals Marseille achieved the feat in 1993.
Marseille had also won in Munich against Italian opposition as they beat AC Milan – and 32 years on it was déjà vu.
It meant Munich continued its history of producing a first-time winner in all of its five European Cup finals, with PSG joining Nottingham Forest (1979), Marseille (1993), Borussia Dortmund (1997) and Chelsea (2012).
It has been a season of teams ending their trophy droughts, and PSG earning their maiden Champions League title felt a fitting way to end Europe’s club season.
OPPO has been partnering with UEFA Champions League since 2022 and currently serves as the Official Smartphone Product Partner, providing more fans with opportunities to experience OPPO’s technology and capture exciting match moments.
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