LISBON: Bayern Munich were crowned European champions for the sixth time on Sunday after beating Paris Saint-Germain 1-0 in the Champions League final in Lisbon.
It was often a cautious final, with a bit of needle, but also opportunities, especially before former PSG player Coman appeared at the back post to head off an alluring cross from Joshua Kimmich in the 59th minute and close out a hat-trick. for a team that had already won. the Bundesliga and the German Cup.
PSG will regret not taking advantage of any of the opportunities offered to them on a surreal occasion in an empty Estadio da Luz, but it is an extraordinary success for Hansi Flick, who was appointed last November to replace the fired Niko Kovac.
"I'm proud of the team. When I started in November, all the headlines were about 'no more respect for Bayern, but the way the team has developed has been sensational," he told Sky Germany.
"PSG has very good forwards, but we deserved to win the final."
However, the result could have been different if Kylian Mbappé had done better than shooting Manuel Neuer directly just before the break.
The World Cup-winning striker had spoken of his determination to go down in his country's history by helping PSG become the second French winner of the biggest prize in European football.
But they will have to wait for the opportunity to match Marseille, the 1993 winner.
"We gave all our heart on the pitch. You can expect that from your team, but you can't control the result," PSG coach Thomas Tuchel told French broadcaster RMC.
The one who got away
Qatari PSG owners spent a combined 402 million euros ($ 474 million) on Neymar and Mbappé in 2017 to win this competition. However, in the end, it was one who escaped from Paris who denied them.
Coman was born in Paris and started his career at PSG, but left for Juventus at 18 in 2014, feeling he wouldn't get regular football if he stayed.
"It's an extraordinary feeling. I'm very happy but also a little sad for Paris," Coman said.
The winger had been on the bench in the semi-final against Lyon but rose to the starting lineup in the final.
Now you may not be welcome back in your hometown.
Bayern were the last European champions in 2013. Their six-win tally puts them on a level with Liverpool, who won last year. Only Real Madrid and AC Milan have won more.
It is not Neymar's night
Flick's team finished the season with 21 consecutive wins and is undefeated in 30 games. They deserved to be crowned in a packed stadium.
However, only a few hundred guests were inside the Benfica field to see the outcome of the 'Final Eight', at the end of a competition so delayed by the coronavirus pandemic.
The strangest final pitted two clubs that have taken very different paths to becoming part of the European elite, with Bayern as the traditional German powerhouse and PSG transformed by the 2011 Qatar takeover.
But on and off the court right now they are almost perfectly balanced, and that translated into the kind of proper matchup on the court that neither side often experiences these days.
Bayern was about to open the scoring midway through the first half when Lewandowski, seeking his 56th goal of the season, turned and fired at the post.
He was also close with a header that was stopped by Keylor Navas, but PSG should have punished them at the other end of the first half.
Neymar was denied by Neuer after Mbappé mounted him, while Mbappé managed to shoot directly at the goalkeeper after David Alaba gifted him possession in the area.
Alaba earlier saw his central defensive colleague, Jerome Boateng, limping injured. Giant Niklas Suele replaced him and helped contain the Paris attack when Bayern saw their advantage.
They had broken the deadlock just before the hour mark on a play that began with a Thiago Alcantara sprayed pass forward, and ended with Coman coming in from the left for a header on Kimmich's delivery.
Neymar closed the game with a yellow card for knocking down Lewandowski and a runner-up medal, while Bayern celebrated.
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