Munich
Stefan Ignatov
Anton Stankov
Special correspondents of BGNES

The 33rd final of the most prestigious European club tournament – the UEFA Champions League – will forever remain in history. These words may sound like a cliché, but they perfectly apply to what the spectators witnessed in the battle for the trophy between Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Milan at the Allianz Arena in Munich.

PSG, widely considered the favorite ahead of the match, claimed their first-ever trophy with a resounding 5:0 victory – historic not only because it was their debut title, but also due to the goal margin, the largest in the history of Champions League finals. This was undoubtedly the dream scenario for PSG manager Luis Enrique, who, ten years after his triumph with Barcelona in the “tournament of the rich,” repeated the feat with PSG – a club that had long tried everything (buying top players and assembling star-studded squads) to win the competition but consistently fell short.

A dream scenario that perhaps even many fans of the French powerhouse did not expect before the first whistle in Munich. Goals from Achraf Hakimi and Désiré Doué by the 20th minute put Inter in a dire situation from which Simone Inzaghi's team not only failed to recover but ultimately completely capitulated after three more goals – another from Doué, one from Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, and one from substitute Senny Mayulu – hit Yann Sommer's net.

But credit must be given to finalists Inter and Simone Inzaghi, who still have three Champions League trophies in their collection, the last coming in 2010 during the treble-winning campaign under then-coach José Mourinho. The “Nerazzurri,” shaken by the death of former president Ernesto Pellegrini just before the match, had eliminated Bayern Munich and Barcelona in the quarterfinals and semifinals respectively, showing tremendous character and heart on the pitch. But in the final, they simply couldn’t cope with the Parisian machine.

The two early goals set the tone for the match, and Inter had no response throughout the night against, no matter what anyone says, the superior team on the day. Inzaghi and his side once again experienced the heartbreak of losing a Champions League final, just as they had two years ago when Manchester City won their first title in a 1:0 match against the Nerazzurri. Inter fought on three fronts – Serie A, the Coppa Italia, and the Champions League – but ended the season empty-handed. This outcome will likely cost Inzaghi his job, as he is rumored to be heading to Saudi Arabia.

The situation in the opposite camp couldn’t be more different. PSG made their way to the final by eliminating three English clubs – Premier League champions Liverpool, Aston Villa, and Arsenal. In all three clashes, they faced challenges, but none severe enough to knock them out. Instead, Enrique and his squad arrived at the final brimming with confidence – and they demonstrated it on the pitch, doing whatever they pleased against the Milanese side. A key factor in achieving this trophy was the signing of Kvaratskhelia. The Georgian talent had done his job at Napoli, where he became a Serie A champion, and now he holds a Champions League title as well. One must also note the new direction PSG has taken – a project that long pursued Champions League glory with superstars but finally reached the summit of Europe with a team of balanced and talented players led by a coach like Enrique. Kylian Mbappé, who left for Real Madrid in pursuit of that very Champions League title, was left to watch his former teammates lift the trophy instead.

It is still too early to say how far this young PSG team can go. Such a dominant final – with a historic goal margin, against a tough opponent, and after the heartbreak of the 1:0 loss to Bayern Munich in Lisbon in 2020 – shows that the Parisians are ready, if not to dominate Europe, then at least to remain contenders for the trophy in the coming years. Players like Doué, who shone in the final, Kvaratskhelia, Bradley Barcola, and Warren Zaïre-Emery have very bright futures, and this result may be the foundation of something truly special.

PSG also benefited from a relatively easy season in France’s Ligue 1, where they secured another domestic title without much pressure. This allowed the players to fully focus on the Champions League, where the club achieved its ultimate goal and can now rightfully be called European champions. For years, the lack of serious competition in the domestic league worked against PSG, but not this time. Somehow, under Enrique’s leadership – despite a rather unimpressive start to the season – Paris Saint-Germain “found the formula” and discovered the path to success in the most prestigious European tournament. Whether we’ll see the French side on top again next season remains to be seen, but the competition is always fierce, and Enrique and company must be fully aware that this time, they are the hunted, not the hunters. | BGNES