Paris Saint-Germain have been crowned kings of Europe after they defeated Inter Milan 5-0 in the final of the Champions League on Saturday evening.
The victors were anticipating a challenging contest when they faced their Serie A opponents, but first-half goals from Achraf Hakimi and Desire Doue ensured that the French champions went into the interval with a commanding lead.
Doue would add a third before Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and teenager Senny Mayulu netted to seal the win, and PSG emerged as European royalty, claiming their first ever Champions League crown.
Here, Sports Mole discusses how PSG reached the pinnacle of Europe, and what their triumph could mean for next season's competition.
The road to the final
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Despite the emphatic nature of PSG's win against Inter, there was a time when fans though that the team might not make it past the tournament's new league phase after finishing 15th with just 13 points.
Their failure to automatically advance to the round of 16 meant that they had to overcome Brest in a two-legged playoff tie in February, though they did ease past their Ligue 1 opponents after winning 10-0 on aggregate.
However, PSG would then meet Liverpool in the round of 16, and given the Reds were the dominant side in the English top flight, many saw the clash as a true test of their quality.
Liverpool won the first leg in Paris 1-0 in early March - though the French side should have taken a commanding lead to Anfield - but PSG won 1-0 in the second leg and triumphed in the resulting penalty shootout.
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The champions of Europe truly began to click in the knockout rounds, and they were able to withstand significant pressure against Aston Villa in the quarter-final, emerging as 5-4 victors on aggregate.
PSG's penultimate test would come against yet another Premier League side in Arsenal, but supporters' nerves were settled quickly in the first leg in April when Ousmane Dembele scored four minutes into the game.
Dembele's goal proved to be the decisive strike in that match, but boss Luis Enrique acknowledged that the Gunners would pose difficulties in Paris in May, a prediction that was accurate given the Londoners should have taken the lead multiple times.
PSG grew into the clash and regularly threatened Arsenal's goal over the course of the fixture, and thanks to goals from Fabian Ruiz and Hakimi, they ultimately won the second leg 2-1 and advanced as 3-1 victors.
No more Galacticos
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A key difference with the PSG team under Enrique this term has been that his side are composed entirely of young, hungry and energetic talents willing to leave their all on the pitch.
In the past, the champions had the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Kylian Mbappe, Neymar and Lionel Messi in their squads, but these Galactico players would often let the team down out of possession.
European football is unforgiving, and after losing the final in 2020 against Bayern Munich, PSG made the mistake of looking for high-profile stars - with Messi joining a year later.
However, the team's strategy changed in the past seasons, with the club deciding to take advantage of the abundance of talent coming through in France and finally giving opportunities to youngsters.
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Marquinhos was the only player in the PSG starting XI against Inter to be over the age of 30, with Willian Pacho (23), Joao Neves (20) and Doue (19) evidence of the side's youthful core.
Bradley Barcola (22), Senny Mayulu (19) and Warren Zaire-Emery (19) also saw minutes in the final, and it is no surprise that PSG were able to control the game with such an energetic squad.
Inter struggled to deal with PSG's aggressive approach without the ball, with the likes of Kvaratskhelia and Dembele tracking all the way back into midfield and defence to win back possession.
While PSG have been excellent with the ball for years, they only reached the pinnacle of club football once they mastered their approach without it.
Flying full-backs
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It should also be pointed out that Enrique's use of full-backs contrasts significantly with other top managers, as Nuno Mendes and Hakimi are a key component of his team's attack.
Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta have leaned into the defensive side of the game, deploying players capable of playing as centre-backs in wide positions as a means of protecting against transitions.
However, as Hakimi demonstrated during PSG's opening goal against Inter, there are benefits to being brave and utilising attacking full-backs that are capable of charging into the box.
Liverpool boss Arne Slot has frequently referenced PSG's wide defenders as an example of what modern full-backs are capable of, and it would not be surprising if more teams looked to use Enrique's blueprint moving forward.
What does PSG's win mean for next season?
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Now that PSG have finally won the Champions League after years of near misses and heartbreaks, the rest of Europe will be fearful that the club's young core could go on to dominate in the competition.
It would be foolish to write off Real Madrid given their decorated history in the tournament, and perhaps they will pose a challenge to the French side under the direction of new boss Xabi Alonso.
Barcelona are sure to have their say in Europe, especially as teenager Lamine Yamal looks like he could be the heir to Messi's throne despite being so inexperienced.
In England, Liverpool did at times trouble PSG, and the Reds look set to reinforce significantly in the summer transfer window, and they will hope to dethrone the Ligue 1 side.
Regardless, at this early stage it looks as if Paris Saint-Germain should be considered strong favourites to retain their Champions League crown next season.
Lewis Nolan
