UEFA Champions League Final 2020 Highlights: Bayern Munich lifted their sixth European crown on Sunday.UEFA Champions League Final 2020, PSG vs Bayern Munich Highlights: Bayern Munich were crowned the champions of Europe for a sixth time in history when they defeated first-time finalists Paris Saint-Germain 1-0 in the UEFA Champions League final at the Estadio da Luz, Lisbon on Sunday.
Hansi Flick’s Bayern Munich made it 11 out of 11 in the competitions this season, becoming the first team ever to do so, as a 59th minute Kingsley Coman header proved to be the difference in a high-octane, albeit low scoring, final.
Robert Lewandowski was denied twice in the first half — one from a close-range header and another a right-footed strike to the post. PSG threatened too through Neymar and Kylian Mbappe as both the forwards were denied by the gigantic Manuel Neuer. In the second half, Bayern completely dominated the possession and they reaped rewards soon when an accurate Joshua Kimmich cross was put in the back of the net by the former PSG forward, Coman. PSG tried to get an equaliser, but Bayern didn’t slip up even once till the very end.
UEFA Champions League Final 2020 Highlights: PSG players during a training session. (Source: AP)
Hansi Flick has now won three trophies since becoming Bayern manager in November 2019, averaging a trophy every 12 games.
BAYERN WIN SIXTH EUROPEAN CUP! The final whistle blows and it's utter jubilation for the Bavarians and Hansi Flick. PSG were a potent opposition but they proved to be toothless in the end as Bayern hold on to their 1-0 lead owing to the 59th minute Kingsley Coman header. Bayern finally end their seven year wait with a brilliant win in Lisbon!
SO CLOSE! PSG break on the counter on the left via Mbappe and he finds Neymar with a cheeky pass, the Brazilian takes the ball, spins and his shot is just wide off the far post. Even a touch by Choupo-Moting could have been the equaliser there.
Five minutes are added as injury time.
Kurzawa came on and he absolutely clatters Kimmich to the ground. The Frenchman is booked. On the other hand, Corentin Tolisso comes on for Thiago, who might have played his last minute as a Bayern player.
Lewandowski is on against four defenders, and Thiago Silva just hacks the Polish forward down. Coutinho on the free kick, and he comes close... just skimming past the left post. Navas had it covered though.
Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting and Layvin Kurzawa are on for Di Maria and Bernat. Meanwhile, Neymar goes into the book.
PSG had equalled a record against RB Leipzig in the semifinal when Marquinhos had scored the opener -- scoring in 34 consecutive Champions League appearances, same as Real Madrid. Will that run end tonight? Ten more minutes to go.
Mbappe finds himself in acres of space on the left from a Neymar pass from deep. He's pushed wide and has to hold it up before teasing the two defenders... he cuts inside of one but eventually loses the ball. PSG are starting to come at Bayern now.
Julian Draxler is on for Ander Herrera. Attack, attack, attack?
After Coutinho almost threatened the PSG goal, the French side create a chance for themselves. Di Maria plays a no-look reverse pass into Marquinhos in the box. The defender hits it low, aiming for the far corner, but Neuer pulls off another good save.
Philippe Coutinho are Ivan Perisic are on for Coman and Gnabry.
Marco Veratti is on for PSG as he replaces Leandro Paredes.
CLEARANCES! Kimpembe with the first one with a header denying Lewandowski a shot at goal and then Silva near the goalline from a Coman shot. Bayern have completely put PSG's back to the walls now. Tuchel needs to come up with something now.
GREAT HEADER! The former PSG winger repays the faith of the manager with his selection and he puts Bayern ahead with a well-timed header from far post. Kimmich with an incredibly accurate cross from the right side. The stakes have been upped now.
Now, Niklas Sule brings down Di Maria on the left flank and he receives a booking.
Paredes takes the resulting free-kick in the end and it's another poor ball down the left. Soon after, Goretzka has a shot from outside the box at the other end but it's deflected comfortably into Navas' arms. Nearing the hour mark now, still no goals.
Bayern are dominating with the possession here, but they are yet to find the final pass here. But the aggressive side of the match still remains the same as Neymar is fouled twice in two minutes. A brawl breaks out, and it ends with a caution for Gnabry.
And things are underway at Estadio da Luz again!
After a penalty call by Bayern, which was not given, the referee blows the whistle and brings an intense half to an end. Lewandowski hit the post, Neymar was denied by Neuer's legs, Mbappe's shot too timid, and Sule replaces the injured Boateng. For the first time since the restart, Bayern have failed to score in the first half of a game. Interesting. Well-poised too.
OH NO! After Sule mispasses and gives it away to Mbappe inside the penalty box, the Frenchman tries to play it cheeky and passes it to Herrera on the right, who cuts it back in for Mbappe... and his shot is timid and in the hands of Neuer.
An Alphonso Davies cross comes to nothing as Bernat denies Lewandowski the header. Then, PSG breaks on a counter-attack involving Neymar and Di Maria. Soon after an interception, Bayern counter and Lewandowski's cross to Goretzka is cleared away.
Well, this has been quite a feisty final as Marquinhos now brings down Lewandowski outside the box. There have been quite a number of fouls here. The resulting free-kick by Thiago is well dealt by the PSG defence... it comes to nothing.
The Polish is at it again -- a quick cross by Kimmich is well headed by Lewandowski but Navas just instinctively saves it! Half an hour in, no goals, but still things are intense in Lisbon. Risky, full-pelt, heavy-metal, and intense football.
Davies receives the first caution of the night as he fouls Kehrer on the left flank. Bayern deal with Neymar's free-kick well the first time, but the rebound is well hit by Herrera but his shot just goes wide.
After Di Maria sails one way over the bar, Bayern now have a headache. Jerome Boateng is replaced by Niklas Sule after he went down near the touchline. The German defender had hobbled off in the semifinal against Lyon too.
Robert Lewandowski gets his first shot at goal and his right-footed shot hits the left post! He controlled the ball, whipped in from the left, well on his left foot with his back to the goal and turns around to get a half-volley. Unlucky!
Bayern failed to register a single touch in the PSG penalty area in the first 20 minutes.
OH SO CLOSE! Neymar cuts in from the left flank and his shot is saved by the Bayern captain, and it's a double save for the big German! The resulting corner is cleared away easily by the Bayern defence. PSG are amped up.
Both the teams are still trying to find their rhythm. PSG are trying to play on the counter with Mbappe and Di Maria always lurking on the flanks for a run. Bayern are trying to up their tempo through their buildup but they are lacking the final ball.
Mbappe collects a long ball on the left flank and he drifts inside and tries to play a backheel to Bernat.But when that was blocked by Kimmich, the Frenchman tries to score one on a half-volley but it's blocked by Boateng.
PSG are on their first foray on their right flank as Kehrer whips a dangerous cross in but is cleared by Boateng with his side. The resulting corner leads to nothing as PSG circulate possession again. Neymar and Mbappe are still not in the game.
After the kickoff, things have been on Bayern's side. The Bavarian side are pressing high on the pitch and even dispossessed Marquinhos for an attack but failed to capitalise early on. PSG set up to play on the counter.
The UEFA Champions League winner will contest the UEFA Super Cup against UEFA Europa League winners Sevilla in Budapest on September 24. Both PSG and Bayern are already assured of being in next season's group stage draw on October 1.
Thomas Tuchel, PSG coach: "They're on a unique run at this moment. It’s a mix of young players who are hungry and they also have experience with seasoned campaigners in the side. I speak a lot with Keylor Navas [as a former winner] and we also have Ángel Di María and Neymar who've won this competition. It is a slight advantage for Bayern that they're used to being involved in finals such as this one. However, that won't be a decisive advantage."
Hans-Dieter Flick, Bayern coach: "We are going to try to produce our best performance out there and play our best football. Only if we are able to do that, if we are all at 100 percent in terms of our performance levels, will we be able to win the match. They have only conceded five goals in the Champions League, the least in the competition, so it means their backline works like their front line does. We have a game plan and I hope we can carry it out."
Robert Lewandowski has scored 15 UEFA Champions League goals this season, two behind the record set by Cristiano Ronaldo in 2013/14. The 32-year-old will need to score a hattrick if he has to break the Portuguese's record.
For Neymar, there is more at stake than a UEFA Champions League medal tonight. In the verdict of tonight’s final in Lisbon would hang a lot of answers to the questions hovering over him. The world’s most expensive player – officially he cost €199 million, but unofficially PSG had shelled out around €450 million – has to prove that he is worth his price tag. | READ MORE |
In what has been a remarkable season, Robert Lewandowski and Kylian Mbappe have a combined 114 goal contributions this season. Separated by 11 years, both of them are chasing their first-ever UCL title.
Keylor Navas is back for PSG, while Verratti is among the substitutes. Paredes, Herrera and Marquinhos are in the middle of the park to counter the threat of Thiago, Goretzka and Muller. Coman replaces Perisic for Bayern, Lewandowski starts. Neymar, Mbappe and Di Maria up front for the Parisian side. While PSG are going with a 4-3-3, Bayern have opted for a 4-2-3-1.
Hello and welcome to the live commentary of the UEFA Champions League final -- PSG vs Bayern Munich. The Ligue 1 champions will take on the Bundesliga winners, hoping to win their first-ever European Cup. But Bayern have a 100% record in the competition so far, scoring a massive 42 goals so far. Will Neymar, Mbappe, and Di Maria get the better of the Bavarian defence? Or will Lewandowski add to his 15-goal tally and inflict pain on the French side? Stay tuned to find out!