MUNICH: Paris St Germain have finally won their first European Cup — and they did it in style. The French champions crushed Inter Milan 5-0 in the Champions League final, putting on a brilliant display from start to finish on Saturday.
Teenager Desire Doue scored twice, helping PSG lift the trophy their fans and owners have been dreaming of for years.
It was a night to remember as the team dominated the match and showed why they truly deserved to be champions of Europe.
After losing the final to Bayern Munich in 2020, Luis Enrique’s PSG side, who teetered on the brink of elimination in the league phase this season, finally claimed the trophy their big-spending Qatari owners have craved.
PSG put on a masterclass which the more experienced Inter side had no answer to, scoring twice in the opening 20 minutes through former Inter defender Achraf Hakimi and Doue.
The 19-year-old Doue was on target again in the 63rd minute, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia scored 10 minutes later and substitute Senny Mayulu netted three minutes from time to seal the biggest winning margin in a Champions League final.
Before kick-off the Italian fans sang “There’s Only Inter”, the club’s anthem, but on the pitch their side went missing and PSG ran riot to secure a richly deserved win.
PSG bossed the game from the start, maintaining possession with their slick passing, every player constantly searching for an opening, which they found in the 12th minute when Vitinha played a pass into Doue in the box.
Inter defenders appealed for offside but Federico Dimarco played the PSG man onside and the youngster kept his cool to roll the ball across goal and hand Hakimi the simplest of tap-ins.
The second came eight minutes later from a quick PSG counter which found Ousmane Dembele on the left wing.
Dembele drove forward before floating the ball to the far side and Doue had time to control the ball on his chest and his shot took a deflection off Dimarco to beat the wrong-footed Yann Sommer.
PSG killed off the game with a third goal when Vitinha slid the ball through to Doue in the area and the 19-year-old coolly slipped the ball past Sommer.
Inter were shell-shocked but things only got worse.
Dembele’s defence-splitting pass from his own half sent Kvaratskhelia haring away before beating Sommer at his near post, a goal which brought the PSG bench, including Luis Enrique, onto the pitch as they knew this game was all over.
PSG still had time for a fifth as Mayulu fired past Sommer from close range after a pass from substitute Bradley Barcola and the final whistle was greeted with huge roars from the French fans who had been singing loudly all game.
