Honestly, if you missed the 2025 Champions League final, you probably should have just stayed off social media for a week. It was brutal. Total carnage. People expected a chess match between Luis Enrique’s possession obsession and Simone Inzaghi’s tactical wall. What we got was a 5-0 demolition that felt more like a training session than the biggest game in club football.
Paris Saint-Germain didn't just win their first-ever European Cup at the Allianz Arena. They practically erased Inter Milan from the pitch. It was the largest margin of victory in a final in the modern era. Think about that for a second. In a competition defined by tight margins and late-night heroics, one team walked away with a five-goal cushion.
Why the Paris vs Inter Final Still Matters
Most people think PSG winning was inevitable because of the money, but that’s a lazy take. This wasn't the "Galactico" PSG of Messi, Neymar, and Mbappé. Those guys were gone. This was a team built on the energy of kids like Désiré Doué and the relentless tactical discipline of Vitinha.
✨ Don't miss: Trail Blazers News Rumors: What Most People Get Wrong About This Deadline
Inter Milan came into Munich looking like favorites to many. They had just dismantled Barcelona in the semis. They had that "Italian steel." But within twelve minutes, Achraf Hakimi—a former Inter man, no less—slotted home the opener. You could almost hear the air leave Inter's tires.
It's kinda wild how the narrative shifted so fast. Before the match, the talk was about whether Inter could win their fourth title and cement Inzaghi as a legend. By halftime, down 2-0 after a Doué strike, the conversation was simply: how bad is this going to get?
The Night Everything Broke for Inter
Football is weird. Sometimes a scoreline doesn't tell the whole story, but here? It told everything. Inter looked old. They looked slow.
- The Hakimi Factor: Scoring against your old club is a cliché, but his 12th-minute goal changed the geometry of the game. Inter had to chase. Inter cannot chase.
- Désiré Doué’s Arrival: The 19-year-old was the Man of the Match for a reason. He bagged two goals and an assist. He played like he was at the park, not in front of 64,000 people.
- The Treble: With this win, PSG didn't just get the trophy; they secured a continental treble. Luis Enrique became only the second manager to do it twice.
Inter’s defense, usually a fortress with Bastoni and Acerbi, was pulled apart like wet paper. By the time Khvicha Kvaratskhelia added the fourth in the 73rd minute, Inter players were literally standing with their hands on their hips. It was a tactical "ego death" for Italian football.
The Tactics Nobody Talks About
Everyone looks at the goals, but the real story of the Paris vs Inter final was the mid-block. Luis Enrique didn't let Hakan Çalhanoğlu breathe. Every time the Turkish midfielder tried to turn, João Neves or Vitinha was there.
It was claustrophobic.
Inter thrives on transition. They want you to attack them so they can hit you on the break with Lautaro Martínez. PSG just didn't give them the ball in dangerous areas. 57% possession isn't even that high for a 5-0 win, but it was where they had the ball. They kept it in the "half-spaces," forcing Inter’s wing-backs, Dimarco and Dumfries, to tuck inside and leave the flanks wide open.
Basically, PSG exploited the exact weakness of the 3-5-2. They stayed wide, moved fast, and didn't stop until Senny Mayulu—another teenager!—made it five in the 86th minute.
What Most People Get Wrong
There's this idea that Inter "bottled it." I don't buy that. Inter played their game; PSG just had a better one.
📖 Related: Slovenia Soccer Team Roster: Why Most People Get It Wrong
Inter has never overturned a halftime deficit in a European final. Ever. History was against them the moment the second goal went in. And honestly? Yann Sommer had a shocker. A 3.9 rating on some platforms tells you all you need to know. When your keeper is having a nightmare and the opposing 19-year-olds are playing like Prime Ronaldinho, you’re gonna have a bad time.
Where Both Teams Go From Here
For PSG, the "curse" is dead. They are no longer the club that buys stars and fails in March. They are the club that develops talent and wins in May. This victory changed their DNA.
For Inter, it’s a rebuilding phase. You can't lose 5-0 in a final and stay the same. It was a reality check for Serie A. The gap between the elite wealth of the Premier League/PSG and the rest of Europe felt wider than ever that night in Munich.
If you’re looking to analyze your own local club's tactics or just want to win your next pub debate, remember these three things from that night:
- Pace kills: Inter’s back three couldn't handle the sheer foot speed of Barcola and Kvaratskhelia.
- The "Ex" Curse: Never let a former player like Hakimi start a final against you. It’s bad vibes.
- Youth over Ego: PSG’s youngest players were their best players. That’s a massive shift in modern football strategy.
The 2025 final wasn't a contest. It was a statement. PSG is finally what they always spent billions trying to be: the best in the world.
To really understand the tactical shift PSG made under Luis Enrique, go back and watch the highlights of their quarter-final against Aston Villa. You’ll see the exact same patterns—the wide overloads and the high-press triggers—that eventually destroyed Inter in the final. Analyzing those transition moments is the best way to see how "The Paris Project" finally clicked into gear. Focus on Vitinha’s positioning; he is the real reason that team functions.
***