CHAMPIONS League FINAL, MAY 31 2025
PSG 5Inter 0
Hakimi (12)
Doué (20, 63)
Kvaratskhelia (73)
Mayulu (86)
Paris Saint-Germain became European champions for the first time by thrashing Inter at Munich’s Allianz Arena. Since Qatar Sports Investments bought the club in 2011, PSG’s main objective has been to win the Champions League. Along the way they have suffered some agonising defeats – including the 2020 final and in last season’s semi finals. Now, under the astute management of Luis Enrique, they have a supremely talented team that managed to win the final by the biggest margin in the competition’s 70-year history.
PSG started this game on the front foot and were 2-0 up inside 20 minutes, with Désiré Doué instrumental. The 19-year-old played a beautifully composed pass to marauding full-back Achraf Hakimi to open the scoring. He then netted a second via a deflection off Inter’s struggling left wing-back, Federico Dimarco. PSG’s third saw Doué become only the second teenager to score a brace in a European Cup final, after the great Eusebio for Benfica in 1962.
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and substitute Senny Mayulu – also 19 – completed the rout, both firing past Inter’s Yann Sommer at his near post. The fifth goal saw PSG head coach Luis Enrique celebrating wildly, as he became only the second manager to win Europe’s continental treble with two clubs. Pep Guardiola was the first, having achieved the feat with Barcelona in 2009 and Manchester City in 2023. Now Luis Enrique has added this achievement to the treble he won with Barcelona in 2015.
How the managers saw it
“We put the right pressure in defence and we didn't allow them to play their normal football,” said Luis Enrique. “After that, when we scored the first two chances that we had, it was amazing. I think it was a really complete performance.”
“We approached the game poorly, became stretched and made their victory easier,” said Simone Inzaghi. “For us, this is a tough loss. Credit to our opponents, but we didn’t play a great final. Technically, we didn’t play like we know we can. They were winning second balls and, after conceding the first goal, we became stretched, leading to this defeat. Tonight, we conceded goals that we don’t normally allow.”
Starting line-ups
PSGInter
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PSG4-3-3
Inter3-5-2
1Gianluigi Donnarumma
1Yann Sommer
25Nuno Mendes
28Benjamin Pavard
51Pacho
15Francesco Acerbi
5Marquinhos
95Alessandro Bastoni
2Achraf Hakimi
2Denzel Dumfries
8Fabián Ruiz
23Nicolò Barella
17Vitinha
20Hakan Çalhano?lu
87João Neves
22Henrikh Mkhitaryan
7Khvicha Kvaratskhelia
32Federico Dimarco
10Ousmane Dembélé
9Marcus Thuram
14Désiré Doué
10Lautaro Martínez
PSG’s fluidity
From their 4-3-3 structure, PSG initially attacked the wide areas, with Inter’s wing-backs jumping out to press PSG’s full-backs. From here, Doué and Kvaratskhelia could attack the wide centre-backs in bigger spaces, carrying the ball forward and progressing up the pitch. Soon Inter’s central-midfield moved across to support their centre-backs jumping out (below). This stopped PSG’s wide progression, but they soon found their spare player in midfield and dominated the ball.
PSG’s fluid movements enabled them to rotate, roam and attack various spaces against Inter’s back five. The Ligue 1 champions often operated without a defined centre-forward, giving Inter’s middle centre-back Acerbi no one to mark. This helped PSG create a free player to play away from pressure and lock Inter into their own half. Ousmane Dembélé in particular moved into various areas to support the attack. PSG often had more numbers on their right, as right-back Hakimi joined Doué – with the former’s late entry into the penalty area being key in the opening goal. Left-back Nuno Mendes also moved high, supporting Kvaratskhelia, although PSG usually had less numbers on that side (below).
As the first-half progressed, PSG’s passing and attacking rhythm was too much for Inter’s 5-3-2 block. They scored a second from an incisive counter, and their numbers on the right side helped them dominate the ball. Dembélé continued varying his movements, sometimes operating on the left side, with Kvaratskhelia working inwards to support the numbers on the right. PSG’s central midfield three – up against Inter's three – were excellent on the ball. They managed the tempo, broke lines and adapted their movements to support between Hakimi and Doué (below), while also giving players on the left more space to drive and run forward off the ball.
In the second half PSG penetrated more, with runners from midfield joining around Dembélé – especially when he dropped towards the ball from a higher starting position. Kvaratskhelia often held the width on the left, dragging his marker with him, ready to sprint in behind to exploit any gaps in Inter’s back line. Doué narrowed more, but with the same purpose to run beyond. PSG’s midfield then surged forward (below), grabbing more goals to complete the 5-0 thrashing and an extremely efficient attacking display.
High pressing on to Inter
As well as their fluid attacks, PSG were aggressive and coordinated with their high pressing. They choked Inter’s build up, starting the match with clear intent. Their front-three pressed on to Inter’s three centre-backs, with one of PSG’s central midfielders – João Neves, below – occasionally pressing wing-back Dimarco. In those moments, Hakimi narrowed and jumped into midfield, working on to the Inter midfielder left by Neves and facing his own goal.
Where possible, Dembélé tried to lock the build to PSG’s right side. But in the moments when he couldn’t, he still pressed with the same purpose and intelligence. When his initial man, Francesco Acerbi, moved into midfield after passing the ball back to Sommer, Dembélé jumped Inter’s goalkeeper with appropriate speed – sometimes creeping forward, sometimes sprinting. The rest of the PSG front line and higher midfielders then moved player-to-player, as Inter tried to play over the PSG press. Neves remained in midfield when defending, with Hakimi responsible for his opposite number (below).
The majority of Inter’s play over the PSG press didn’t provide an escape, though. Willian Pacho and Marquinhos followed the two Inter forwards, ready to duel for the first contact. Although Inter’s front-line secured many of the first contacts, a lack of appropriate support made it difficult to secure the ball in the PSG half. After following the dropping Lautaro Martínez, Marquinhos could back press to support his centre-back teammate. With all of the PSG midfield defending goal-side, they too could run back and press the receiving Inter forward (below). Although the Italian side found more progression in the second half, the damage had been largely done thanks to PSG’s pressing and fluid attacks.
PSG refused to take their foot off the gas, though. And it could have been even more humiliating for Inter, particularly when substitute Bradley Barcola came close to scoring after a scintillating dribble. As it was, PSG still walked away with a crushing victory and the trophy they have coveted more than any other.
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