Paris St-Germain’s brilliant teenager Desire Doue delivered an inspired display as they produced a masterclass to thrash Inter Milan in Munich and win the Champions League for the first time.
The 19-year-old confirmed his status as a new superstar as Luis Enrique’s side capped a brilliant campaign by recording the biggest winning margin in a Champions League or European Cup final.
And they did it by sweeping Inter aside in a blaze of attacking football.
Doue helped PSG on their way to history by setting up Achraf Hakimi for a simple finish after 12 minutes, adding the second eight minutes later with a shot that deflected off Inter defender Federico Dimarco.
Luis Enrique, who becomes only the sixth coach to win this tournament with two different clubs after his 2015 triumph with Barcelona, saw his thrilling team pick Inter apart. Any doubt about the outcome was removed when PSG got the third goal their performance deserved after 63 minutes.
Ousmane Dembele’s flick released Vitinha, who played in Doue for a composed finish as he became, at 19 years and 362 days, only the third teenager to score in a Champions League final – after Patrick Kluivert for Ajax in 1995 and Carlos Alberto for Porto in 2004.
PSG were outclassing Inter in devastating style, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia running clear to beat Yann Sommer, sending Luis Enrique running down the touchline in a dance of ecstasy.
The agony was not over for Inter, who lost to Manchester City in the 2023 final. PSG substitute Senny Mayulu, himself still only 19, became the fourth teenager to score in a Champions League final, adding a fifth goal four minutes from time.
PSG deliver display for the ages
Paris St-Germain delivered one of the great performances in Champions League history as Luis Enrique’s brilliant team gave the competition the winners it deserved.
As they grew into the Champions League this season, they cut a swathe through the Premier League elite – beating Manchester City, then knocked out Liverpool, Aston Villa and Aston Villa in the knockout stages.
PSG emerged as the best team in the competition. And it could not have been illustrated in more emphatic fashion as they ripped apart an experienced Inter Milan team from the first whistle, the contest effectively over when they established a 2-0 lead after 20 minutes.
They were relentless, torturing Inter with their passing and pressing, along with the sheer variety they possess in attack, led by the prodigious talent of Doue, named man of the match, and the young Georgian great Kvaratskhelia.
This was a stunning vindication of PSG’s new strategy to move away from the superstar “bling bling” era of Neymar, Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe to a team ethic based on young, hungry players under Luis Enrique’s brilliant guidance.
The Champions League had remained tantalisingly out of reach for PSG, but the curse has been broken by a magnificent side who look built to last.
Inter suffer misery again
Inter Milan’s players and supporters were reduced to tears on a chastening night. The oldest team in the competition looked their age as they were run ragged by PSG.
With doubts over coach Simone Inzaghi’s future, and several players at the veteran stage, this defeat looks certain to usher in a new era at this great old Italian institution.
This was a brutal experience for Inter, as PSG tore into them from the first whistle. Inzaghi’s side were unable to cope.
Danger man Lautaro Martinez never got a chance to pose a threat, and while there was some ill-fortune attached to their loss against Manchester City in Istanbul, this was a humiliation. In search of their fourth triumph in the competition, they were mauled.
It was a mismatch between youth and experience. Inter grew old before the eyes in Munich as this young and vibrant PSG team carried out a footballing destruction.
