Latest news with #Championsleague
Hindustan Times
3 days ago
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
Champions League: In PSG's first, a benchmark for excellence
Kolkata: The Champions League trophy has a new home. One where it could now be a frequent visitor if what a young and skilful Paris St-Germain (PSG) did this summer is any indication. Till Saturday, the Champions League had meant heartbreak for PSG. It was against them that Barcelona showed impossible was nothing, Marcus Rashford helped Manchester United escape to victory and Karim Benzema scored a hattrick as Real Madrid pulled off a heist. Borussia Dortmund stunned them last term and the only time they had played the final before this, PSG had come up short. PSG compensated for all that hurt, for 12 successive knockout round qualifications ending in disappointment, with so much style and substance that the 5-0 dismantling of Inter Milan can now be a benchmark for excellence. Their energy made Inter look inert and, suddenly, very old. And PSG's finesse threw into sharp relief the heavy touches and misplaced passes from the three-time former champions who were in search of a treble not so long ago. 'The image that remains cancels a bit the great season that we have had,' midfielder Nicolo Barella said after Inter's second Champions league final in three seasons. At an average age of 24 years and three months, PSG are the youngest after Ajax in 1994-95 to win the world's toughest club competition. Three days from his 20th birthday, Desire Doue became the youngest to score and assist in a Champions League final, as per Opta. Senny Mayulu is even younger and his combination play with Bradley Barcola, 22, for the fifth goal can be a pointer to the future. PSG caught Inter with their fluid forward play and interchange of positions when they had the ball and pressed them to suffocation when they did not. Doue, the wide right, was on the left to meet Vitinha's defence-splitting pass and Achraf Hakimi, the right back, was where a centre-forward should have been. But PSG do not play a centre-forward so Hakimi did the job with his fourth Champions League goal. This was Hakimi's ninth goal contribution of the season, the most by a defender since 2001, said Opta. None of this was unplanned. 'If I have the ball, I attack, if I don't, I am a defender.' This was how he wanted PSG to play, manager Luis Enrique had said at the start of the season. It showed all night in Munich. With four different scorers – PSG had seven players with five goals in this campaign – the midfield pulling Inter apart to the point that Hakan Calhanoglu and Henrikh Mkhitaryan had to be replaced and Gianluigi Donnarumma being alert to a Marcus Thuram shot in the 75th, the winners were close to perfection. 'We were in cruise control,' said Enrique, the only manager other than Pep Guardiola to win a treble with two clubs. Ousmane Dembele, the designated false nine, didn't score but helped create the second, third and fourth goals. For the second goal, Dembele showed his speed, but for the rest of the night he played like a No.10 along with Vitinha, who is supposed to be a deep-lying midfielder. Dembele unhinged Inter's backline with measured passes, and in one instant, with a back-heel. That wasn't all he did. 'Dembele was pressing (Francesco) Acerbi and the centre-backs… He didn't give them room to breathe… would give Dembele the Ballon d'Or for how he defended today!' said Enrique. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia did not do what he usually does, draw defenders to him and create space for Dembele or fire accurate deliveries, but scored the fourth goal and helped in the counter-attack that led to the second. That was in the 20th minute and summed up the contrast between the teams. Nicolo Barella thought he had done enough to win a corner-kick – Inter's best chances came from them but Acerbi and then Thuram failed to keep headers on target – only for Willian Pacho to set up the counter-attack. Doue was brilliant in his movements all night, running the length of the pitch to score his first and producing a skilful finish, to another brilliant ball from Vitinha, for his second in the 63rd minute. No goals or assists in his last eight matches and then this. The early goals are PSG's forte, they have scored the most (9) in the first 20 minutes. It slayed Inter who had trailed for only 16 minutes in Europe this term. It is worth pointing out that before this became the biggest margin ever in a Champions League final, four of the last five had ended 1-0. And there could have been more had Dembele not missed from close, Barcola and Doue not gone wide. Victories this comfortable in a final tend to distort reality but as Manchester City rebuild, Inter grapple with the sense of an ending, Real Madrid adjust to life with Xabi Alonso, Liverpool deal with balancing Premier League and Champions League, Arsenal look to step up, Bayern to translate domestic superiority to Europe and Barcelona find a way to improve defensively, PSG will be the team to watch out for. Once a collection of stars, they are now a collective that knows no fear. Bring on the Club World Cup.
Daily Mirror
3 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Luis Enrique in brutal Arsenal snub after PSG's Champions League triumph
PSG claimed a historic Champions League triumph after beating Inter Milan on Saturday and boss Luis Enrique was asked who their toughest opponents were along the way - but refused to name Arsenal PSG boss Luis Enrique snubbed Arsenal when naming their toughest opponents in the Champions League this season - after they won the trophy for the first time with a 5-0 hammering of Inter Milan. The Ligue 1 outfit ran riot against the Italian side on Saturday night as Enrique won the competition for the second time in his career. Enrique's men saw off Arsenal across two legs in the semi-finals to reach the showpiece in Munich, beating the Gunners 3-1 on aggregate. Mikel Arteta's side failed to hit the heights of their famous win over Real Madrid in the previous round - which saw them dump out the reigning champions after a 5-1 aggregate victory. But against PSG, Arsenal were much more subdued - first losing 1-0 at the Emirates before a 2-1 defeat in Paris. When asked about PSG's biggest obstacles on their way to glory, Enrique mentioned Liverpool and Aston Villa, but failed to namecheck Arsenal. 'There were a few matches this season that tested us," the Spaniard said, talking to CBS Sports. " Liverpool, for example, made things very difficult, especially in transitions. Aston Villa, too, were one of the more organised sides we came up against." It was a difficult season Arsenal as they finished second without any silverware and ended up 10 points behind Premier League champions Liverpool. As for PSG, they completed a historic treble - as Enrique pulled off the feat with a second club after Barcelona. The Spaniard admitted he was left "emotional" after the win over Inter after the club's fans paid tribute to his late daughter Xana with a huge tifo of her after her death from cancer in 2019 aged nine. He said: "I'm very happy. It was very emotional at the end with the banner from the fans for my family. But I always think about my daughter. It means a lot. It's so nice but I don't need to win the Champions league to remember my daughter. "My daughter is always with us, especially when we lost. With my family, enjoying everything and trying to get the positives, even in the bad moments."
Edinburgh Reporter
3 days ago
- Sport
- Edinburgh Reporter
At Hibs it's not just the first team celebrating a successful season
It's not just the Hibs first team that enjoyed a successful season. Hibernian Women claimed their first SWPL title in 18-years despite being massive underdogs due to the disparity of budgets with their main rivals. The title went down to the wire with Grant Scott's side needing a point at Ibrox on the final day. But Hibs took all three thanks to a Linzi Taylor strike that secured not only the trophy but Champions league football under the Easter Road lights next season. Speaking after the final whistle SWPL manager of the year Scott said: 'It's incredible. I'm a bit speechless. It's taking a bit of time to land this one. 'I'm immensely proud to lead this group. We've been on the page all season. We've had our moments and we've questioned one another at times but the consistency has been phenomenal.' 'I'm just so proud of the group, so proud of the players and staff. We're threadbare at the minute, there's a few walking wounded in there. In this modern era of Scottish women's football – it's a massive achievement.' And if that wasn't enough the Under 18s won the league title with a game to spare after a tremendous season. Darren McGregor's side have been immense and after lifting the trophy following a victory over Kilmarnock, he praised the players and coaching staff. He said: In academies there's a big thing about development and not necessarily winning, but I think that the closer they get to the first team the biggest the onus is on results. 'One or two of them usually train with the first team every day which is great and the ultimate goal is to get a couple of them into the first team full-time now. They're a great group and they always want to improve. 'I've got a fantastic staff team, with Guillem Beulezin, Scott Ross and Matty Fenwick, amongst other, and work with a brilliant Academy Director in Gareth Evans. 'It's all relative and for the boys, winning this league is the biggest achievement in their career so it's something to be proud of and celebrate. 'Winning anything in football is difficult and when you get older you look back at these milestones and it is a great achievement for them.' Hibernian U18s Photo Maurice Dougan Hibernian U18s Photo Maurice Dougan Like this: Like Related
Daily Mirror
3 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Kylian Mbappe and Neymar react as PSG finally break Champions League duck
Paris Saint-Germain beat Inter Milan 5-0 in the Champions League final and former PSG stars Kylian Mbappe and Neymar have congratulated the club on their triumph Kylian Mbappe and Neymar have congratulated Paris Saint-Germain after they thrashed Inter Milan 5-0 to win the Champions League. A brace from Desire Doue and strikes from Achraf Hakimi, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Senny Mayulu saw PSG lift the trophy for the first time in their history. Winning the tournament is something Mbappe and Neymar were unable to do during their time at the club, with the pair part of the PSG side which lost 1-0 to Bayern Munich in the 2020 final in Lisbon. And both Mbappe and Neymar have congratulated their former club on the win. In a post on his Instagram story, Mbappe wrote: "The big day has finally arrived. Victory and with the manner of a whole club. Congratulations, PSG." Neymar, meanwhile, shared a clip of the celebrations with the caption: "Congratulations PSG", followed by five applause emojis. It comes after PSG boss Luis Enrique appeared to take a dig at Mbappe following the final, with the forward running down his contract to join Real Madrid on a free transfer last summer. When asked about Mbappe after PSG's victory, Enrique said: "We would have loved to have him, but his decision was different. We've shown that we have stars at the service of the team, and not the other way around." Reflecting on the victory as a whole, Enrique added: "I'm very happy. It was very emotional at the end with the banner from the fans for my family. But I always think about my daughter. It means a lot. "It's so nice but I don't need to win the Champions league to remember my daughter. My daughter is always with us, especially when we lost. With my family, enjoying everything and trying to get the positives, even in the bad moments. "I tried to keep the pressure down for a club that had never won the competition. Inter are a great side but we were fantastic in our pressing. Every player improved this season and so did the team. "We prepared very well for this game to be at that level. The team was excellent; we pressed with high intensity. Ousmane Dembele pressured their defenders and goalkeepers constantly. "Since day one, I said I wanted to win important trophies and Paris had never won the Champions League. We did it for the first time. It's a great feeling to make many people happy."
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Martinez: Inter will 'try to play the perfect game' to beat PSG
Inter Milan captain Lautaro Martinez said that his team will "try to play the perfect game" to defeat Paris Saint-Germain and claim the Champions League title on Saturday in Munich. "The Champions League is an extraordinary achievement for any player. We will try to play the perfect match, to take the trophy back to Italy, to Milan, where it has been missing for a few years," he said in a news conference on Friday. Advertisement He continued: "This is the Champions league final, we all know the value of this trophy. We should keep playing the same way we have during our journey. We respect our opponent very much, but we have the quality to do well." Three-time winners Inter reached the final after defeating Barcelona in a match-up full of twists and turns. The Italians last played in the Champions League final in the 2022-23 season, when they were defeated by Manchester City. Asked about what has changed since that game, which he was part of, Martinez said: "We have grown, we have improved. We faced worthy opponents in very difficult stadiums. We've earned everyone's respect. Advertisement "Now we have the possibility to return home with this trophy, let's hope this is the right time." Coach Simone Inzaghi added: "The experience two years ago will help us. It's been a long and tricky journey, we will need to stay focused. "The aggressiveness and determination we should try to bring to the pitch will make the difference."
