Qatar-backed PSG's united approach puts them on brink of European football glory
[MUNICH] Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) are on the brink of a maiden Champions League title, chasing European glory in their first season since the departure of French striker Kylian Mbappe, with street-wise Inter-Milan standing between them and history in the final on Sunday (3am kickoff, Singapore time).
PSG, backed by owners Qatar Sports Investments, have been impressive in Europe with a cohesive brand of football that marks a clear departure from the star-driven, sometimes disjointed squads of recent past.
The focus on unity, tactical discipline and collective effort has drawn widespread plaudits ahead of their showdown with Inter in European club football's biggest match of the season.
Since Qatar Sports Investments took control of the club in 2011, big-spending PSG have dominated domestic football but fallen short in Europe, with their only previous Champions League final ending in defeat by Bayern Munich in 2020.
Manager Luis Enrique, who took charge of PSG last year, said his team had long targeted this moment, which comes after they won the domestic double of the French league and the French Cup.
PSG enter the final with no fresh injury concerns, while Inter fullback Benjamin Pavard and striker Lautaro Martinez are expected to be fit for the Serie A runners-up.
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Inter last won the Champions League in 2010, after also lifting the European Cup in 1964 and 1965, while Olympique Marseille are still the only French club to have won the trophy, back in 1993.
Inter goalkeeper Yann Sommer (left) and PSG's Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma will be key to their respective team's success this weekend. PHOTO: AFP
While this year's finalists have displayed attacking brilliance, the match could be decided by the goalkeepers – PSG's Gianluigi Donnarumma and Inter's Yann Sommer.
'If you look at the Champions League winners over the last 10 or 15 years, it's always the teams with strong goalkeepers who win,' said former Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon.
'And if we look at this season, Donnarumma and Sommer have been the top goalkeepers in Europe. Maybe Gigio (Donnarumma) was the absolute best, but Sommer showed an impressive consistency in maintaining his very high level of performance. It will also be a final of goalkeepers.'
Last chance at glory
A season which once promised so much for Inter now hangs on manager Simone Inzaghi's experienced side beating PSG, giving Saturday's decider at the Allianz Arena in Munich the feel of a last-chance saloon for the Italian club.
Inter, hurting from a failed league title defence, also seek redemption for the lost final two years ago against Manchester City in Istanbul and, for many of the club's elder statesmen, this will be seen as their ultimate opportunity.
Inzaghi now has the difficult task of getting his team back on their feet after the players were on their knees only last Friday when the Serie A championship went to Napoli on the final day of the season.
'The championship just concluded left us with something to remember,' said Inzaghi. 'There is a lot of suffering in myself and in the players, it's pointless denying it.'
Inter manager Simone Inzaghi (left) will square off against his PSG counterpart Luis Enrique in European club football's biggest match. PHOTO: AFP
Not so long ago, there was plenty of treble talk around Inter, with the team impressing in Europe, mounting a comeback in Serie A and reaching the semi-finals of the Italian Cup, until it all began to unravel in a three-game spell in April.
Their bid to repeat the treble feat of Jose Mourinho's Inter side of 2010 ended with a 3-0 loss to city rivals AC Milan in the second leg of their Italian Cup tie, and league defeats either side of that gave control back to Napoli in the title race.
Despite their domestic failings, Inter can remain optimistic after a European campaign which has been on another level. In the Champions League, they ended the group stage fourth in the standings having conceded just one goal in eight games.
Their strong defence last season (just 22 goals conceded in 38 matches) saw Inter easily secure the Serie A title, and they have brought that same spirit into Europe this campaign – at least until the knockout phase.
Inter's last four Champions League matches brought a lot more goals and no shortage of drama, culminating in a thrilling semi-final tie with Barcelona.
A 7-6 aggregate victory came thanks to defender Francesco Acerbi netting an added-time equaliser and substitute Davide Frattesi coming up trumps with an extra-time winner.
Acerbi is one of the many Inter players still stung by the Champions League final defeat of 2023 and the 37-year-old picked the perfect moment to score his first European goal and keep his side in the competition.
Inter, unlike the youthful PSG, have experience on their side with the likes of Sommer, Matteo Darmian, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Hakan Calhanoglu all on the wrong side of 30.
Inzaghi will hope that experience, along with the desire to banish the ghosts of Istanbul and the league campaign just ended, can fuel Inter's push for the ultimate prize which would put their recent failings well and truly behind them. REUTERS
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