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[Editor’s note: This article comes from the 2025-26 Athlon Sports Premier League Preview magazine. , or pick one up at retail racks and newsstands nationwide.]
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A really lengthy wait resulted in about 20 minutes. After 54 years as a membership and 18 earlier UEFA Champions League (UCL) appearances, Paris St.-Germain leaped to a 2-0 lead over Inter Milan in a 3rd of an hour, then coasted to its first—and long-sought—UCL title, 5-0. Rising younger star Désiré Doué assisted on the primary objective and scored the second, earlier than ending the primary of the crew’s three second-half targets to finish the rout.
The sport capped off one of the vital uncommon and maybe game-changing Champions League competitions but. Beginning this season, a brand new league format was launched. The 36 qualifying groups had been break up up into 4 teams of 9. Seeding was used to even up the draw.
As a substitute of the normal home-and-home matchups, every crew performed eight video games on this format, dealing with an opponent simply as soon as. All of the factors earned had been put right into a 1-to-36 desk. The highest eight earned computerized spots within the round-of-16 knockout event. The following 16 (ending ninth by means of twenty fourth) entered yet one more sequence of playoffs, this time home-and-home. The eight winners from that group would additionally be a part of the spherical of 16. End twenty fifth and decrease and also you had been out.
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Sophisticated? At first, it appeared so, however as soon as the video games bought began and followers noticed that they’d a 36-team league desk to observe by means of the ups and downs of eight rounds of video games, the drama ramped up rapidly. In the long run, there have been some shut requires the favorites, some shock rising stars, and the type of down-to-the-wire motion that UEFA dreamed about once they created the format.
The League Section
Many of the video games went to kind, however the greatest upset was most likely unheralded Lille surprising mighty Actual Madrid. It was the primary time the French aspect had ever performed the famed Spanish crew and so they made probably the most of it, creating historical past with a 1-0 win. Lille continued its wonderful run by ending seventh total within the league desk and incomes computerized development. Benfica later almost pulled off the same feat towards Barcelona, operating up a 4-2 lead. However three late targets by the Catalan giants turned the sport right into a exceptional 5-4 victory.
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Former UCL champions Manchester Metropolis, nonetheless, had been on the fallacious finish of a turnaround within the dying phases, conceding 3 times within the final quarter to let Feyenoord tie 3-3. It was the primary time within the Champions League {that a} crew blew a three-goal lead within the remaining quarter-hour. Metropolis was additionally on the fallacious finish of a enjoyable second for U.S. followers, when Tim Weah assisted on a Weston McKennie objective in Juventus’s 2-0 win. It was the primary time a pair of American gamers had joined forces, teaming as much as create and rating a objective within the competitors. As for Metropolis, solely a final-game 3-1 overcome Membership Brugge allowed the champs from England to advance.
With just one win and one draw to point out for its first 5 video games, PSG wanted three factors from its remaining sport, beating 4-1 Stuttgart to make the playoffs. Three targets within the first 40 minutes eased any fear within the Metropolis of Love. Issues improved rapidly for PSG within the playoffs.
Additionally of statistical word on this part was a Champions League-record 9-2 win by Bayern Munich over Zagreb. Harry Kane recorded three penalty kicks, one other UCL first, and have become England’s high all-time Champions League scorer as effectively. And kudos to Brest, who made it into the primary spherical of playoffs in its first-ever Champions League look (solely to be swamped by PSG within the two-game matchup).
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Whereas not as huge a shock as Lille, Aston Villa ending eighth caught many consultants unexpectedly. Villa’s 2024–25 play within the Premier League was approach up, resulting in Champions League success.
On the ultimate day of the league part, solely two of the much-desired high eight spots had been assured (Liverpool and Barcelona), whereas all however two of the 36 groups had earned a minimum of one win. AC Milan noticed its standing drop from sixth to thirteenth with a shock loss to Dinamo Zagreb, whereas Lille and Villa cemented their top-eight spots with stable remaining victories.
9 By way of 24
The 16 groups that completed beneath the highest eight had been put into pairs, matching groups 9-16 towards groups 17-24. On this first spherical of playoffs (performed within the conventional two-legged-style) to find out who would be a part of the highest eight total, some mighty timber needed to fall. Two of them met—Actual Madrid and Man Metropolis—and Los Blancos wanted a hat trick from the unimaginable Kylian Mbappé to make it by means of. However the true shocker on this race for the ultimate 16 got here when No. 24 Brugge knocked out No. 9 Atalanta, a milder type of a 16-over-1 March Insanity upset.
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Italy didn’t profit vastly from the brand new format as Juventus and Milan joined Atalanta within the loser’s column. Brest was simply completely satisfied to be part of issues, however getting swamped by 10-0 in combination by PSG most likely took just a little out of their celebrations.
Bayern bought a last-minute objective from Alphonso Davies to knock out Brendan Rodgers’ sport Celtic aspect (3-2 on combination).
Spherical of 16
With the highest eight now joined by the play-in eight, the final word showdowns might start with quarters, semis, and the ultimate. The massive-name matchups had been in all places on this spherical and one thing, once more, needed to give. In an all-Spanish-capital pairing, it was Actual who received over Atlético, although they wanted penalties to do it. In different information from Spain, Barcelona continued its march by knocking out Benfica 4-1. One spotlight was an outstanding, curving, left-footed objective by Lamine Yamal, who at simply 17, grew to become the youngest goal-scorer in Champions League historical past. Simply after the common La Liga season, Yamal cashed in, signing a $33 million-per-year contract. There was nonetheless greater than a month to go earlier than he turned 18!
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A pair of perennial powerhouses, Liverpool and PSG, additionally wanted PKs to discover a winner. Liverpool might make just one shot within the shootout, whereas PSG buried 4. Going through the mighty Italian keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma didn’t make the Reds’ job simpler.
Subsequent up for PSG had been Aston Villa, who beat Membership Brugge to advance to the final eight. The French aspect took a 5-1 combination lead, solely to observe Villa rating three in a row in sport two. However they may not discover a tying objective and PSG superior.
Lille’s Cinderella story ended with a 3-2 loss to Borussia Dortmund whereas Arsenal manhandled PSV 9-3 to arrange a mouth-watering matchup with Actual Madrid.
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In these video games, Arsenal’s Declan Rice had the most important highlights of the spherical, smashing two picture- good free-kick targets in his crew’s 3-0 first-leg win. Within the return, the Gunners triumphed once more for a 5-1 combination victory. It was Arsenal’s first UCL semi-final since 2009. PSG continued its chase for its first-ever title with a 5-3 combination win over Dortmund, although Dortmund’s Serhou Guirassy netted a hat trick within the return match.
Inter superior after edging out Bayern Munich 4-3 on combination.
Paris Saint-Germain gamers have a good time after successful the UEFA Champions League Closing towards FC Internazionale Milano in Munich, Germany, on Could 31, 2025.Xavier Laine / Getty Photos
SemifinalsInter 7, Barcelona 6
Months after this sequence, followers are nonetheless speaking about it, placing the 2 matchups into the pantheon of biggest ever within the lengthy historical past of top-flight European membership soccer. This traditional featured two high groups in a pair of memorable video games. The primary began badly for favorites Barcelona at dwelling, as Inter went up 2-0 within the first 21 minutes. Younger Barça star Yamal then curled in an attractive left-footed strike and Ferran Torres tied the rating.
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Milan went in entrance once more, just for Raphinha’s fiercely-struck shot to hit the crossbar and enter the online off the again of Milan keeper Yann Sommer, tying the rating at 3-3.
Extremely, the return match on the San Siro in Milan was even higher. As soon as once more, the Italians surged forward on targets by Lautauro Martinez and Hakan Çalhanoglu. However, as in sport one, Barcelona bounced again within the second half, scoring twice, together with a series-tying Dani Olmo header within the sixtieth minute. With simply three minutes left, Raphinha then scored to silence the house crowd and put Barcelona up 3-2. However Inter had extra miracles handy.
In harm time, Francesco Acerbi scored a wonderful one-touch objective on the close to submit to tie the rating once more at 3-3. It was the centerback’s first objective of the 12 months and despatched the stadium into an uproar. A shocked Barcelona crew then confronted half-hour of additional time, throughout which each groups wasted early probabilities.
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Within the ninth minute of additional time, Milan discovered a winner. Davide Frattesi calmly collected a unfastened ball about 10 yards out and despatched a left-footed shot into the online. The drama was not over, as Sommer was compelled right into a pair of diving, fingertip saves to guard the rating. The mixture 7-6 win despatched Milan again to the ultimate (they misplaced to Man Metropolis in 2023) and a upset Barcelona dwelling.
PSG 2, Arsenal 1
Compared, the second semi was a a lot tamer affair. Rising star Ousmane Dembélé scored the one objective within the first sport, whereas goalkeeper Donnarumma got here up huge a number of occasions to guard his clear sheet. Not even a missed PK might cease PSG from successful the second leg 2-1 to clinch a spot within the remaining.
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Désiré Doué of Paris Saint-Germain celebrates after scoring his crew’s third objective within the UEFA Champions League Closing towards FC Internazionale Milano in Munich, Germany, on Could 31, 2025.
Championship Match
Doué assisted on a objective by Achraf Hakimi within the twelfth minute after PSG blazed out of the kickoff with attacking soccer. They saved their foot on the gasoline from begin to end, and Inter seemed like they didn’t know what hit them. Their golden jerseys had been tarnished by the top. The PSG management and focus had been simply an excessive amount of. Within the twentieth minute, Doué smacked a tough shot that glanced off Milan defender Federico Dimarco and previous a chagrined Sommer to double the lead. It was throughout however the shouting of the PSG followers, who watched with glee as their crew dismantled the proud Italian crew.
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Within the second half, Doué added to his rising résumé by operating onto an ideal by means of ball from Vitinha to beat Sommer once more. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Senny Mayulu added late targets to push the successful margin to the most important in Champions League remaining historical past. PSG had as many targets as Inter had photographs on course. PSG goalie Donnarumma was compelled to make just one actual save, however together with his crew already 4-0 up, it was anticlimactic.
All that was left was for captain Marquinhos to boost the long-sought trophy, the one which not even Messi, Mbappé, and Neymar might deliver dwelling to Paris.
This story was initially reported by on Aug 12, 2025, the place it first appeared.