French club Paris Saint-Germain defeated Italian club Inter Milan 5-0 in the Champions League final, a match held at the Allianz Arena, home of German club Bayern Munich. The match saw an amazing performance from the Parisian club and a complete absence from Inter Milan, who were present in name but absent in play, performance, and presence
Inter's Strange Absence
The strangeness of the match scenario lies in Inter's complete absence from the competition with the Parisian club. Despite Inter's strong performance throughout the season in general, competing for the historic treble of the domestic league, cup, and Champions League, and in the Champions League in particular, they delivered a high-quality performance and a consistent level throughout the tournament, eliminating teams with a long history and strong contenders for the title, such as Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals with a score of 4-3, and Barcelona in the semi-finals with a score of 7-6. This was the most wonderful semi-final match in the history of the tournament, and they reached the final match. However, they were completely absent in that match against Paris Saint-Germain, and did not enter the match until the Parisian club scored two goals in the first 20 minutes, clinically ending the match. All of the team's stars - Italian wingers Di Marco, Dutchman Dumfries, Turkish playmaker Calhanoglu, Argentine striker Lautaro Martinez and French striker Marcus Thuram, Swiss goalkeeper Jan Sommer, and the rest of the team's stars - were far from their best. This was compounded by the wretched state of the defense, the ineffectiveness of coach Simone Inzaghi's substitutions, and the team's inability to build attacks from the back or in midfield and complete them into the opponent's penalty area to create real scoring opportunities
A stunning performance by Paris Saint-Germain
Paris Saint-Germain performed brilliantly in the match, controlling the game and directing it as they saw fit, in the best possible way. They put pressure on Inter's defense from the start, scoring a goal in the 12th minute through the brilliant Moroccan Achraf Hakimi—who was one of the match's stars and refused to celebrate out of respect for his former club, Inter Milan—and then scored another early goal in the 20th minute through French striker Desiree Doue, the man of the match—effectively ending the match. In the second half, they resorted to defending to absorb Inter's attacks, then played on transitions and counterattacks, through which they were able to score three more goals, cementing their victory and sweeping the game in a scenario that denied Inter the opportunity to recover or have any presence in the match
Paris Saint-Germain's players shone
Several players shone for Paris Saint-Germain, most notably Doue, the man of the match, who scored two goals and made one; French striker Ousmane Dembélé, who exhausted Inter's defense with his movements throughout the match; Georgian striker Kvaratskhelia, who was decisive in all attacks and scored a stunning goal on a counterattack in the second half; and Moroccan right-back Achraf Hakimi, whose creativity varied between defense and attack. He scored the opening goal, becoming the third Arab player to score in a Champions League final after Algerian Rabah Madjer and Egyptian Mohamed Salah. Other Paris Saint-Germain stars in the match included Portuguese playmaker Vitinha, who was a key player in all of Paris' attacks throughout the match; and substitute French striker Barcola, who made the fifth goal and missed several clear-cut goals. He had a strong and influential offensive presence in the match, a testament to coach Enrique's good management of the match and his timely interventions with effective substitutions
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All of these factors indicated that Paris deserved to win the match, given their effort and performance. However, none of this could have been achieved had Inter been in their usual form during the match. However, the truth is that Inter were not in their usual form throughout the season and throughout the tournament, and were out of action throughout both halves. Otherwise, we would have witnessed a more entertaining match characterized by competition, conflict, and an exchange of goals between the two goals
The Success of the Project
With this victory, Paris won the title for the first time in its history, tying with its French rival, Marseille, and achieving the historic treble (League, Cup, and Champions League) for the first time in its history. It also denied Inter the title for the fourth time in its history, as they had hoped with this victory to move away from their rival, Juventus, who have won two titles, and closer to their other rival, AC Milan, who have won seven titles. Most importantly, this victory represents the success of Paris Saint-Germain's project, which began in 2011, 14 years ago, when the new Qatari management took over the club. The club's ambitions have now grown, with winning the Club World Cup and repeating the Champions League as the club's new goals
A Human Touch
Paris Saint-Germain fans showed a human touch when they raised a banner bearing the image of coach Enrique's daughter, who passed away at the age of 9 in 2019 after a battle with illness. Her presence was commemorated with the coach's joy at winning the championship, and the precious title was dedicated to her soul, a display that highlights the nobility and significance of sport
