Paris Saint-Germain Thrash Inter Milan 5-0 to Win First-Ever Champions League Title

In a dazzling display of dominance and teamwork, Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) crushed Inter Milan 5-0 in the UEFA Champions League final on Saturday night at Munich’s Allianz Arena. The victory marks PSG’s first-ever Champions League title, capping off a historic transformation from a star-studded project to a cohesive footballing force under coach Luis Enrique.

A Dream Fulfilled for Paris

For more than a decade, PSG have pursued Europe’s biggest prize with a combination of ambition, heavy investment, and elite talent. Backed by Qatari owners since 2011, the club brought in football megastars like Neymar, Kylian Mbappé, and Lionel Messi in hopes of dominating the continent. Yet success in the Champions League eluded them—until now.

On this warm Munich evening, it wasn’t the superstars of old but a new generation of talent that led PSG to glory. Spearheading that revolution was 19-year-old Désiré Doué, who scored twice and provided an assist in one of the most commanding individual performances ever witnessed in a European final.

“I don’t have words,” Doué said after the match. “But what I can say is, ‘Thank you Paris,’ we did it.”

A Night for the Record Books

Doué’s heroics made him only the third teenager to score in a Champions League final, following Patrick Kluivert (1995) and Carlos Alberto (2004). Moments later, his fellow teenager Senny Mayulu also got on the scoresheet, becoming the fourth teenager to do so, as PSG ran riot over a helpless Inter Milan defence.

The rout was completed by goals from Achraf Hakimi and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, sealing the biggest-ever margin of victory in a Champions League final in the competition’s 70-year history.

Luis Enrique, who took charge of PSG in 2023, has been widely credited with reshaping the team’s identity. No longer just a team of individual brilliance, PSG under his stewardship have become a unified, disciplined, and tactically astute squad.

The End of an Era, The Start of Another

This final felt like the definitive end of PSG’s ‘Galáctico’ phase—a period defined by big names, high wages, and, until now, unfulfilled European dreams. With Mbappé’s departure at the end of the season and the emphasis shifting to academy talents and smart acquisitions, PSG’s success represents the triumph of a more sustainable and collective approach.

For Inter Milan, the night was one of bitter disappointment. The Italian giants, who last won the Champions League in 2010, were hoping to redeem themselves after losing to Manchester City in the 2023 final. Instead, they were overwhelmed from start to finish, rarely managing to threaten PSG’s goal.

PSG's Road to Glory

PSG's path to the final was not without challenges. After finishing top of their group, they knocked out Manchester United in the Round of 16, edged past Barcelona in the quarterfinals, and came from behind to defeat Bayern Munich in the semis—avenging their 2020 final loss in the process.

This win not only exorcises the ghosts of that 2020 defeat but also cements PSG’s place among Europe’s elite. With the pressure of “never having won the big one” finally lifted, the club can now build on this victory with renewed confidence and focus.

The French Renaissance

France has long been a powerhouse in international football, but its clubs have struggled in European competition. PSG's triumph is only the second time a French club has won the Champions League, after Marseille in 1993.

Doué, Mayulu, and other young stars like Warren Zaïre-Emery represent a renaissance of French talent at the club level. Their success is likely to inspire a new wave of youth development not only within PSG but across Ligue 1.

What’s Next?

As the celebrations continue in Paris and across France, PSG’s focus will soon shift to sustaining this success. With a solid foundation of youth, a visionary manager, and a now-proven ability to go all the way, the club's future looks brighter than ever.

For Luis Enrique, who previously led Barcelona to the Champions League title in 2015, this win underscores his ability to bring unity and vision to complex squads.

“Today we played as a team,” he said. “We defended together, attacked together, and created history together.”

Final Thoughts

Paris Saint-Germain’s 5-0 demolition of Inter Milan in Munich was more than just a football match—it was a symbolic victory for a club long accused of being more spectacle than substance. Now, with a Champions League trophy in hand and a new generation leading the charge, PSG has finally arrived on football’s grandest stage—not just as contenders, but as champions.

Conclusion

Paris Saint-Germain’s emphatic 5-0 victory over Inter Milan in the Champions League final is more than just a milestone—it’s a defining moment in the club’s history. After years of near-misses, criticism, and heavy investment, PSG has finally secured European football’s most coveted trophy. But what makes this triumph even more significant is how it was achieved: not through a reliance on ageing superstars, but through a collective effort powered by emerging talents like Désiré Doué and guided by Luis Enrique’s team-first philosophy. This victory not only signals the end of PSG’s long wait for continental glory but also the beginning of a new era built on unity, youth, and sustainable success.