German Champions clinched their sixth Champions League title after defeating Paris Saint-Germain 1 – 0 on Sunday night in Lisbon.Former PSG academy graduate Kingsley Coman scored the only goal of the game for Bayern Munich to defeat his former team.
The Frenchman was Bayern’s only pre-match change from the semi-final victory over Lyon and vindicated his inclusion on the hour when he headed the winner as the champions of Germany overcame their French counterparts to complete a Bundesliga, DFB Pokal and Champions League treble for only the second time in the club’s history.
With win in the final,Bayern improved their unbeaten run to 11th consecutive Champions League victory and they became the first team in European Cup history to win every match en route to lifting the trophy.
For Thomas Tuchel and PSG, it was agonising failure at the final hurdle as the expensive super stars brought to the club to win this very competition – Neymar and Kylian Mbappe spurned early chances to win first champions league in teams history and failed to replicate the domestic dominance on European football’s biggest stage.
How it Happened?
The conclusion of the 2020 Champions League saw two domestic champions of France and Germany compete in the final for the first time since 1998.
Bayern was bookies favorites to win the final ahead of PSG but both teams was impressive and gave it all on the pitch and while game was played out in front of an empty stadium due to coronavirus restrictions, it lived up to expectation in an engrossing, if somewhat cagey, showpiece in Lisbon.
The first chance of the game fell to PSG on 18th minute as Mbappe, who had two early attempts blocked, turned provider for strike-partner Neymar, but a fine Manuel Neuer double stop thwarted the Brazilian’s initial effort before his attempt to square the rebound the Angel di Maria was cut out by the Bayern captain.
Bayern responded through their top goal scorer Robert Lewandowski, who brought Alphonso Davies’ cross under control in the box before swivelling brilliantly to get a shot away, only to be denied by the post.
The chances kept surfacing at a rapid rate, with Navas drawn into a save at point-blank range on 31 minutes from Lewandowski, who improvised brilliantly to get his head on Muller’s cross after it had taken a late deflection off Presnel Kimpembe.
With half time approaching,Mbappe fire a glorious chance straight at Neuer after Bayern played themselves into trouble at the back, before Bayern had strong appeals for a penalty turned down after Coman brought down by Thilo Kehrer’s challenge.Both teams headed into half-time with out a goal.
Bayern shifted through the gears shortly after the break,and made the much awaited breakthrough as the former PSG winger Coman headed home Joshua Kimmich’s sumptuous cross into the far corner in the 59th minute.
After scoring the goal,confident Coman troubled PSG with flurry of fine crosses into opponent box ,Thiago Silva was forced into a goal-line clearance after Coman lashed Muller’s floated cross towards the PSG goal.
With time running out PSG mounted a late surge Marquinhos forced another save from Neuer, before Neymar whipped past the angle of post and bar from 20 yards.
Key stats:
- Bayern Munich have won the European Cup/Champions League for a sixth time (level with Liverpool) and for the first time since 2012-13. Only Real Madrid (13) and AC Milan (7) have been crowned champions on more occasions.
- Bayern Munich are the first team in European Cup/Champions League history to win every game en route to winning the competition (11 wins).
- Bayern Munich became just the third side in UEFA Champions League history to hit the 500-goal mark in the competition (500 goals in total), after Barcelona (517) and Real Madrid (567).
- Bayern Munich attacker Kingsley Coman became the fifth Frenchman to score in a UEFA Champions League final (Benzema 2018, Zidane 2002, Desailly 1994 and Boli 1993).
- PSG failed to score in a game in a major UEFA European competition for the first time in 35 matches, last failing to do so in a 0-1 defeat to Man City in April 2016.
- Each of the last seven teams competing in their first European Cup/Champions League final have all lost, with the last first-time winners being Borussia Dortmund in 1997 against Juventus.
Post-Game Interview:
Bayern Munich manager Hansi Flick:
“I am proud of this team. When I started in November, I read the headlines: ‘No need to fear or respect Bayern Munich anymore’, ‘The team is awful’, but the development of my team since then has been sensational.
“We made maximum use of everything. It is not easy to win three titles. It was hard work. You could see during winter how much determination we have in this team, which is obviously something you wish for as a coach.
“Every player developed this season in such a way so as to win three titles. This only happens as a team. The team is always in the foreground. When you see how we worked until the 96th minute tonight in defence then it is a superb team spirit.”
PSG head coach Thomas Tuchel:
“It was a big fight between two strong sides and it was very equal. There was a bit more confidence from them on the ball and possession, and they were very dangerous. We had two very good opportunities to score and it proved decisive.
“We talked about it before that the first goal would decide the match. It’s a pity we couldn’t do it because it would’ve been a big obstacle and a challenge for them to turn it around. We needed the boost for a 1-0 to feel free to show our quality.
“I thought we showed an unbelievable fight and for me it’s absolutely possible to play the same game again and win the game 1-0. It’s like this and you have to accept that Manuel Neuer showed his quality in the Bayern goal.”
Match Stats
PSGvsBay Munich
| PSG | Bayern Munich | |
| 38.4 | Possession % | 61.6 |
| 10 | Total Shots | 12 |
| 3 | On Target | 2 |
| 16 | Fouls Committed | 22 |
| 4 | Yellow Cards | 4 |
| 4 | Corners | 4 |
