High Scoring and High Emotions: PSG Come Out Victorious
Paris-Saint Germain walked away victorious as the first team to take home the Champions League title in the new tournament format. The smoky stadium pitch was just a small piece in the dramatic final match, with the flares and passionate screams of fans filling the Allianz Arena in Germany. After finally achieving what many stars, including Neymar Junior, Kylian Mbappe, and even Lionel Messi, had attempted, Paris Saint-Germain capped their night as champions. For the first time in history, the Champions League trophy will be paraded around Paris.
Just within the first 12 minutes of the game, PSG found themselves on top with an incredible goal by Achraf Hakimi, who put his hands up as a sign of respect for his former team, Inter Milan. Having been brought in by the Milan side during the 2020 season, and then to score against them in a major trophy final felt poetic. The goal was assisted by Desire Doue, who made a quick scan in the box, saw Hakimi, and took the chance. PSG continued to press, not letting up on the Italian defense, which ended in the Frenchmen going up by 2 by the 20th minute.
After assisting in the goal that put PSG in the league, 19-year-old Doue became one of the youngest players to score in a Champions League final. Ousmane Dembele saw the youngster and lifted the ball to him, resulting in an iconic goal that sent the Inter Milan coach into a fit. Inter Milan seemed defeated after the first goal, making careless mistakes and having to fight for possession of the ball. This win for PSG makes this the 10th Champions League final in a row that the first team who score ultimately wins the entire match.
Inter Milan made an attempt on the PSG goal in the 37th minute but came up empty and couldn’t find their footing for a comeback. Normally, any team that is two goals up would start to shift into a defensive style of play, but PSG kept attacking through to the end of the first half, capping with 62% possession. Inter Milan fought back in the opening of the second half, trying to force the ball forward and create chances in the box, however, they remained unsuccessful. Once again, instead of shifting into a defensive stance, PSG opened their lead to three in the 63rd minute.
Doue charged toward the Inter Milan goal with incredible speed and beautiful control of the ball. The Portuguese native Vitinha assisted the third goal of the game and also played a key role in the first goal, kicking off the play that led to Hakimi’s opener. Overall, PSG dominated the narrative and forced Inter Milan to resort to harsh play to turn over the ball with __ yellow cards in the match. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia forced in a fourth goal to push PSG over the edge after a run down the middle, putting Dembele on the map for most assists on the night with two, not surprising from an incredibly talented player. Senny Mayulu becomes another 19-year-old to score his first goal in the Champions League final, cementing PSG as a team to win by the largest margin in the tournament's modern history.
Regardless of the struggles of the past seasons with winning in finals, Paris-Saint Germain has undoubtedly silenced those who didn’t think they could come out on top. Through the peril of losing big players on transfers and injuries, the French side pushed Inter Milan to a breaking point they could not come back from. Many joked that a curse was put on this team after always just losing, but today the curse was broken. The emotions from the fans, players, and coaching staff showcased what the beautiful game is all about: overcoming adversity and persevering.
