Photo: AFP
Paris Saint-Germain lifted the UEFA Champions League trophy for the first time in their history with a sensational 5-0 demolition of Inter Milan in Munich on Saturday night. Under the guidance of Spanish coach Luis Enrique, PSG delivered one of the most dominant final performances in the competition’s 70-year history, with teenage sensation Désiré Doué scoring twice in a night of brilliance for the French champions. Achraf Hakimi, facing his former club, opened the scoring early before Doué’s deflected effort doubled the lead by the 20th minute, setting the tone for an unforgettable night at the Allianz Arena.
Inter,
chasing their fourth Champions League crown and first since 2010, were
overwhelmed by PSG’s pace, energy, and precision. The Italian side’s only real
chance came via a Marcus Thuram header that flew narrowly wide, but their
defensive frailties were soon exposed again. Doué struck again just after the
hour mark, capitalizing on superb build-up play from Vitinha and Ousmane
Dembélé, before Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and substitute Senny Mayulu added further
goals to complete the rout. The victory marked the largest winning margin ever
seen in a Champions League final.
This triumph is the culmination of more than a
decade of heavy investment from PSG's Qatari owners and comes five years after
their previous final heartbreak against Bayern Munich. With the Ligue 1 and
French Cup already secured, this treble-winning PSG side becomes only the
second French club to lift European football's most prestigious trophy, after
Marseille in 1993. For Luis Enrique, it is a second Champions League title as a
coach, a decade on from leading Barcelona to glory.
The night
belonged to PSG’s youth revolution, led by 19-year-old Doué, who will celebrate
his 20th birthday just days after delivering a performance for the ages. His
clinical finishing and composure were a reflection of a PSG squad rebuilt with
intelligence and purpose, particularly following the departure of Kylian
Mbappé. Inter, meanwhile, end the season empty-handed and now face a critical
period of transition, with a squad that showed signs of fatigue and decline on
European football’s grandest stage.