Champions League final: PSG hammer Inter Milan 5-0 to win first-ever title | Football News
Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) won the Champions League for the first time by beating Inter Milan 5-0 on Saturday (local time). Luis Enrique’s young team dominated the match, with teenager Desire Doue scoring twice in what became the biggest winning margin in the history of the final of the tournament, which began in 1956. Achraf Hakimi, facing his former club, scored the opening goal early in the game. Doue’s shot took a deflection and gave PSG a 2-0 lead in the 20th minute. He scored again just after the hour mark, making the result certain. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia added the fourth goal, and substitute Senny Mayulu made it five. Inter struggled throughout the match. PSG’s victory is the biggest in a final since the European Cup and Champions League began 70 years ago. This win comes after years of investment by PSG’s Qatari owners. It also follows their 2020 loss to Bayern Munich in their only other final. PSG had already won the French league and cup this season. They are now only the second French club to win the Champions League, after Marseille, who beat AC Milan in 1993, also in Munich.
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PSG coach Luis Enrique has now won the Champions League twice. He previously won it with Barcelona 10 years ago. The current PSG squad was built over the last two years and came together after Kylian Mbappe left the club. Doue, who turns 20 on Tuesday, was the standout player in the final. Inter Milan could not add a fourth Champions League title. Their last win was in 2010. Coach Simone Inzaghi has now taken Inter to the final twice in three years and lost both times. They also missed out on the Serie A title this season and end the campaign without a trophy. Match summary: PSG took the lead in the 12th minute. Vitinha passed to Doue, who squared the ball to Hakimi. Hakimi scored into an empty net and did not celebrate against his old club. This was the earliest goal in a Champions League final since 2019. Inter had little hope after conceding early. The last time both teams scored in a final was in 2018. The last team to concede first and still win was Real Madrid in 2014. PSG scored again on a counterattack. Willian Pacho stopped Inter from getting a corner. His clearance went to Kvaratskhelia, who passed to Ousmane Dembele. Dembele found Doue, who shot past goalkeeper Yann Sommer with a deflection off Federico Dimarco. Inter had one chance in the first half when Marcus Thuram’s header went wide. Things got worse in the second half. Defender Yann Bisseck came on for Benjamin Pavard but had to go off injured after 10 minutes. PSG scored a third in the 63rd minute. Dembele flicked the ball to Vitinha, who passed to Doue. Doue beat Sommer at the near post. He was then substituted and applauded by the crowd. PSG added more goals. Dembele passed to Kvaratskhelia, who scored the fourth in the 73rd minute. Mayulu then scored the fifth after playing a one-two with Bradley Barcola in the 86th minute. This was the first time a team had scored five goals in the Champions League final since Benfica in 1962.
