Bayern Munich defeated Paris Saint-Germain 1-0 to become the kings of Europe for the sixth time and clinch their first Champions League title since 2013. Their tally of six victories puts them back level with Liverpool, winners last year. Only Real Madrid and AC Milan have won more.
The match saw just the one goal – through a fine header by Kingsley Coman in the 59th minute – even as both Bayern and PSG created a number of chances.
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Bayern celebrated by launching coach Hansi Flick into the air after lifting the trophy. This is Flick’s first job in Germany’s top flight yet in his first season he has steered Bayern to an eighth Bundesliga title, lifted the German Cup and now the Champions League.
Captain and goalkeeper Manuel Neuer was outstanding to deny a string of chances by PSG stars Neymar and Kylian Mbappe. Neuer, one of four survivors from the 2013 team, was delighted after capping a fine display by lifting the trophy.
“The joy was huge - that was what we deserved and what we wished for. It was really hard work.” said Neuer. The 34-year-old as singled out for praise by Bayern team-mate Thomas Mueller, another survivor from the 2013 side.
Here are some of the other reactions by the players and coaches:
Bayern Munich coach Hansi Flick:
“I am proud of the team. When I saw the headlines in November, all I read was that nobody is afraid of Bayern anymore. The development since then has been crazy. We deserved to win, because of the second half. You could already see in training at our winter camp in January that something big was growing. The team just has this overwhelming will to win. It’s a pity that the fans couldn’t be here with us today, perhaps they can come back again in the future, but a game like this without supporters is not the football that we know.”
PSG coach Thomas Tuchel:
“Manuel Neuer was again incredible, he has been in good form for weeks and week and weeks. He’s back to his best - unfortunately for us. Over the last few weeks we have shown everything you need to win every title going. We lost 1-0 in the final against one of the strongest sides in Europe. We must maintain the same quality to carry on this road. We want Neymar and Kylian to score but we can’t ask for it all the time. I am proud because ‘Ney’ still had a match with an incredible capacity, he showed his mentality. For Kylian it was difficult, he suffered a serious injury, missed a lot of training. It was a miracle that he was with us at all. I am convinced that if we had scored the first goal, we’d win the game 1-0. I had the impression that the first goal would decide the fate of this final. We have to keep this quality to continue on this road. I have a contract, I don’t know anything else.”
Bayern Munich forward Thomas Muller:
“It’s such a huge joy, it feels like we have come a long way since November. I don’t know how it looked from outside, but it felt like we deserved it in the way we played. It is crazy, there is no secret to the way we played, we had enormous quality and a great spirit, the boys were all ready to suffer for each other. The mentality is superb and we have Manuel Neuer in goal, he showed he is number one.”
Bayern Munich defender Joshua Kimmich:
“This is the biggest day in my career. It’s impossible to describe what it feels like to stand on the pitch with such a team. It’s like playing with brothers, it doesn’t get better than that. Even if you make a mistake, someone else makes up for it. Hansi Flick showed a lot of trust in us from the beginning. We already had a bit of a feeling of being unbeatable. We deserved to win this competition.”
PSG president Nasser al-Khelaifi:
“I am very proud of my players. We had a great season, a great tournament here. Nobody thought we would go to the final. We were very close to winning, we did everything to win, but that’s football. We will work next season to win the Champions League because that is our goal.”
PSG midfielder Ander Herrera:
“We have built something important. We have to stay together and start the next dream next week. At the moment, it feels like crap, honestly. But we have to think about it, we have done something important, something important for the club, for our supporters. There are no words. Tomorrow we’ll think about what we did, the squad we built, the things we did together. We are not going to put this in the trash.”
Bayern Munich left-back Alphonso Davies:
“As a young kid coming in you want to keep that tradition going. Every young player in this side is hungry to win titles, because they’ve seen their idols do it. Growing up in cold Edmonton, coming to Europe and winning the Champions League with a great club like Bayern is just everything you can ask for. It just goes to show that anybody, if you set your mind to it, you can do anything. I’m happy that I’m here with the Champions League medal around my neck and the trophy by my side.”
Bayern Munich midfielder Kingsley Coman:
“It’s an incredible feeling, lots of happiness and a bit of sadness for Paris, they had a great run. My heart was 100% Bayern because I’m 100% professional but I’m not going to lie, to see Presnel (Kimpembe) like that, to see our team like that, gave me a little bit of heartache.”
(Inputs from AFP)
