Manager says “it absolutely didn’t feel like my Inter out there”; admits team were more tired than PSG
Simone Inzaghi has admitted he barely recognised his Inter Milan team after they were comprehensively beaten 5-0 by Paris Saint-Germain in Saturday’s Champions League final.
The defeat at Munich’s Allianz Arena was not only the heaviest ever in a Champions League final, it also brought a brutal end to a season that completely unravelled in the last lap for enter. While they were on the hunt for a treble only last month, the three-time European champions now finish the campaign without a trophy, having also fallen short in Serie A and the Coppa Italia.
“It absolutely didn’t feel like my Inter out there and the players are the first to know it,” Inzaghi said after the match. “We didn’t play well technically, they outfought us and got to the second balls first.
“We knew they were stronger than us, we knew we had to be better, but we fully deserved the defeat.”
PSG, who sealed their first ever Champions League title in emphatic fashion, overwhelmed Inter from the first whistle. The French champions went ahead early through Achraf Hakimi, before 19-year-old Desire Doue added two goals and set the tempo for a dominant display. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and substitute Senny Mayulu added further punishment, as Inter capitulated in the final game of a competition in which they had played brilliantly and fought courageously against the heavyweights of Europe.
“We were more tired than PSG, who clinched the French title several weeks ago while we were fighting for the Serie A until the final weekend,” Inzaghi said. “We didn’t approach it well. We didn’t play the final in the best way.”
The result comes two years after Inter narrowly lost the 2023 Champions League final to Manchester City at Istanbul, and raises new questions about the team’s direction under Inzaghi. Though Inter impressed with a dramatic semi-final win over Barcelona, a 7–6 aggregate thriller that marked one of the most dramatic ties of the season, they looked unrecognisable in the final.
“There is great disappointment and bitterness because the boys have had a great run this season, and it’s hard to end with no titles,” Inzaghi said. “As a coach, I’m still proud. I thanked the boys. They have given their heart and soul this season and you cannot really ask for more than that.”
