Confidently entering Munich, the result was devastating. Inter Milan suffered a crushing 0-5 defeat against Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in the UEFA Champions League final, collapsing at the brink of European supremacy. The humiliation of the largest margin of defeat in the tournament's history is an added insult.

On Dec. 1 (Korean time), Inter faced PSG in the 2024-2025 UEFA Champions League final at Football Arena Munich in Germany, suffering a 0-5 defeat. Although Inter Milan had dominated Europe throughout the season with its ironclad defense, it experienced a defeat never before encountered in the final.

Inter Milan, who had only trailed for 998 seconds (approximately 16 minutes and 38 seconds) before the final in this season's Champions League, saw cracks emerge just 12 minutes into the match. PSG's promising player, Désiré Doué, finished a sharp cross assisted by Achraf Hakimi, scoring the first goal. Hakimi, an Inter graduate, restrained his celebration after scoring, but the momentum had already shifted toward PSG.

Eight minutes later, Doué scored again to extend the lead. In the 20th minute, Doué's shot, receiving a cross from Ousmane Dembélé, deflected off a defender and was sucked into the net. Inter created several chances to recover a goal, but Turan's header narrowly missed, and the first half ended 0-2.

The situation did not improve in the second half. Inter Milan collapsed helplessly, conceding goals successively to Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Hakimi, Doué, and Seny Malulu. In the 63rd minute, Doué's second goal effectively decided the match, and in the 73rd minute, Khvicha scored another, followed by an additional goal from substitute Malulu in the 81st minute, marking an unprecedented '5 goals conceded' in the history of the final.

Inter lined up in a 3-5-2 formation for the match. Lautaro Martínez and Turan formed a front two, while Dimarco, Barella, Çalhanoğlu, Mkhitaryan, and Dumfries made up the midfield. The defense was handled by Bastoni, Acerbi, and Pavard, and Yann Sommer guarded the goal. However, it was insufficient to withstand PSG's speed and skill.

Head coach Simone Inzaghi said after the match, "We have never collapsed in this manner before. PSG was perfect, and we could not respond."

After the match, the statistics outlet Opta pointed out, "Inter Milan has become the first team in the history of the Champions League final to concede five goals. Including the European Cup era, the last team to concede five goals in a final was SL Benfica, who lost 3-5 to Real Madrid in 1962."

The outlet noted regarding PSG's resounding victory, "This major win stands out in the history of the Champions League final," adding, "Notable examples include the following matches."

The first mentioned was the match between AC Milan and FC Barcelona in the 1993-1994 season, where AC Milan won 4-0. Opta explained, "Against Johan Cruyff's 'Dream Team,' Barcelona, Milan secured a resounding victory despite missing several key players. The match was perfect with multi-goals scored by Daniele Massaro, a stunning lob shot from Dejan Savićević, and a curling shot by Marcel Desailly. At that time, Barcelona's midfielder was Pep Guardiola, the current manager of Manchester City."

Subsequently, the outlet listed examples such as Real Madrid 4-1 Juventus in the 2016-2017 season, Real Madrid 4-1 Atlético Madrid (extra time) in the 2013-2014 season, FC Porto 3-0 AS Monaco in 2003-2004, and Real Madrid 3-0 Valencia in the 1999-2000 season.

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