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It took only 20 minutes for Paris Saint-Germain to take firm control of the Champions League final, first Achraf Hakimi and then Desire Doue punishing sloppy defending in their own penalty area by Inter.

The opener was in many ways typical of the excellence PSG have displayed so far in 2025, the danger building when Khvicha Kvaratskhelia picked up the ball near the left touchline and drove into the box. The ball was worked from inside to out via Fabian Ruiz and Vitinha, the latter slipping Desire Doue through in a position where there were plenty of options.

Doue picked the correct one, rolling the ball across the face of goal for Hakimi to slot into an empty net. It is the fourth goal scored by the PSG right back this season, Hakimi having already netted crucial goals in the semis and quarterfinals. This was a particularly auspicious one for the Moroccan, who declined to celebrate against the team he played for in 2020-21. 

The goal is the first PSG have ever scored in a Champions League final as they bid to go one better than in 2020, when they were beaten 1-0 by Bayern Munich. It was also a rich reward for an aggressive, high-pressing and technically assured start to the match.

That continued even with the opener. PSG's second typified another of their great qualities, the interchanging of their frontline. Ousmane Dembele, the nominal center forward, drove a counter down the left flank before the ball was worked to the excellent Doue, his shot deflecting in to leave Yann Sommer without a hope of saving it.

Inter and in particular Federico Dimarco will feel they could have done more to deal with both goals. For the first the Italy international was guilty of being dragged behind the rest of the defensive line as he chased Hakimi's run into the penalty area, ultimately achieving little more than playing his opponent onside. 

As for PSG's second, there was only so much Dimarco could have done when Doue let fly. One thing he could not have done, however, was to turn his back on the shot. Instead it was he who provided the wicked deflection that ensured PSG doubled their lead. Would the ball have gone in a different direction if he'd let it hit him square on? He could well be asking himself that question for many years to come.