Bayern Munich's "brothers", Kingsley Coman's "happiness and heartache", the "inconsolable" Neymar and the "horrible" absence of fans: the players, coaches and newpapers of the world had much to say on the final.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/Michael Regan/Getty Images via UEFA
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While the match itself wasn't the most dramatic of Champions League climaxes, the unprecendented circumstances in which is was played meant the 2020 final will live long in the collective memory.
That will certainly be the case for those who made it on to the pitch in Lisbon and, as you'd imagine, the players of Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain had some wildly different interpretations on the evening.
The Players
An emotional Joshua Kimmich, whose typically-precise cross created Bayern's winner, was desperate to pay tribute to team spirit. "It's impossible to describe what it feels like to stand on the pitch with such a team," he said."It's like playing with brothers, it doesn't get better than that."
After ruing missed chances and misfortune, PSG midfielder Ander Herrera, like several other players, commented on those who missed the action. "It’s horrible. For me, fans are the key in this sport, the most important thing in football. Football without fans is nothing."
For Kingsley Coman, emotions were a mixture of "lots of happiness and a bit of sadness for Paris" after he headed the winner against the club where he made his professional debut. "My heart was 100 percent Bayern because I'm 100 percent professional but I'm not going to lie, to see Presnel [Kimpembe] like that, to see our team like that, gave me a little bit of heartache," the French winger said.
Brazilian midfielder Marquinhos perhaps summed up the disappointment from the French side's players: "I'm proud of our run but disappointed with the match, the result. We have to find the positives. We're going to find out path to reach the highest level."
Meanwhile, Thomas Müller was one of several Bayern players to reference the amazing turnaround under coach Hansi Flick. "Our game hasn't been so well organised since Pep Guardiola [Bayern coach from 2013-16), he said. "Hansi Flick has always been a great guy, very clear in what he tells us. But I didn't expect him to have the complete package to become Bayern's coach."
The Coaches
After admitting that he "didn't know when the party will end", Flick was keen to keep the spotlight on his team, who remain undefeated in 2020. "I remember in November the papers wrote that no one fears this Bayern team anymore, that no one respects it and how bad they are. I think the growth they underwent is sensational," he said.
Hansi Flick has been a major reason for Bayern's revivalImage: Imago Images/SvenSimon
Bayern 's CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge noted how the board's faith in a man initially seen by some as an interim solution had paid off. "We can all be happy that we chose Hansi Flick and put our trust in him," he said. "He's returned that trust a hundredfold."
The other German coach, Thomas Tuchel, felt his side would have won had they scored the first goal but refused to blame his star strikers. "We want Neymar and Kylian to score but we can't ask for it all the time," he said. Tuchel also said Manuel Neuer had "taken goalkeeping to a new level" and called on his side to "rediscover this spirit."
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The Media
But not everyone had such a generous appraisal of PSG's display, with daily paper Le Monde running with the headline: "PSG misses its appointment with history" and the front page of L'Equipe featuring a full page picture of a dsitraught Neymar with the word "Inconsolable" written underneath.
In general though, the French media weren't too hard on Tuchel's men, with acceptance of Bayern's ability and an acknowledgement of missed opportunities commonplace. "The defeat in the final of the Champions League this Sunday should not upset the life of PSG, who intends to use this to grow even more" read an editorial in Le Parisien.
Bayern Munich reclaim Europe's throne
Bayern Munich produced a Champions League first as they were crowned European champions for a sixth time, beating Paris Saint-Germain in Lisbon. Their latest triumph adds to the Bavarians' storied history in Europe.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/M. Childs
1974: First European title — over Atletico in Brussels
Sepp Maier holds the Cup high as Franz Roth (fourth from right) jumps for joy. Bayern Munich have just won their first European Cup — but they really had to work for it. After the final ended in a 1-1 draw, the teams had to face each other in a replay two days later to decide it. This time Bayern won easily, 4-0.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
1975: Repeat against Leeds in Paris
No wonder there was a charged atmosphere at the Parc des Princes! Not only did the referee fail to award Leeds a clear penalty after a foul by Bayern's Franz Beckenbauer, but after the English side scored, he called back the goal for no apparent reason. Bayern capitalized with a 2-0 win on goals by Franz Roth and Gerd Müller (right), who is trying to calm down the fiery Billy Bremner.
Image: picture-alliance/empics
1976: Threepeat against St. Etienne in Glasgow
Bayern Munich's third consecutive European Cup final victory isn't exactly a spectacular one either. Opponents St. Etienne had two attempts come back off what was then still a square post at Hampden Park. The photo shows the only goal of the match, as Franz Roth beat Ivan Curkovic with a free kick in the 57th minute to give Bayern the 1-0 victory.
Image: picture-alliance/S. Simon
1982: Losing to Aston Villa
Karl-Heinz Rummenige, Dieter Hoeness and Paul Breitner (left to right) are clearly not amused after Bayern Munich fell to English League champions Aston Villa. This time, luck was not on their side: they dominated play, but Dieter Hoeness' goal was disallowed for no apparent reason. England international Peter Withe scored the only goal Villa would need for the victory.
Image: picture-alliance/S. Simon
1987: Defeat in Vienna
Another bitter European Cup final defeat for Bayern, as the German side blows a 1-0 lead to lose 2-1 to Porto. Having taken the lead on 25 minutes, the Bayern train started to come off the rails with this legendary back-heel goal by Algeria's Rabah Madjer (second from left) in the 77th minute. Four minutes later, Juary would get tthe winner for a 2-1 final for Porto.
Image: picture-alliance/empics
1999: United strike twice in injury time
Bayern Munich's first final of the Champions League era was even more bitter. Up 1-0 for most of the game, Manchester United won a corner as the contest entered injury time and Teddy Sheringham equalized at the death. Incredibly, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer quickly scored a second to win it for United deep into injury time. Bayern captain Stefan Effenberg (right) can't believe what has just transpired.
Image: picture-alliance/ULMER
2001: Valencia vanquished in Milan
Two years later, Bayern Munich were back in the final and this one had a very different outcome. After Bayern and Spanish outfit Valencia remained level at 1-1 following extra time, the match had to be decided on penalties. Goalkeeper Oliver Kahn (holding the trophy aloft) made three saves in the shootout to help Bayern to their first Champions League title.
Image: picture-alliance/ULMER
2010: Milito sinks Bayern in Madrid
Diego Milito (right) spoiled Bayern Munich's evening at the Santiago Bernabeu as their defense simply couldn't contain the Argentine striker. Milito scored both goals in a well-deserved 2-0 win for Inter, who were coached by Jose Mourinho at the time.
Image: Imago
2012: Losing to Chelsea at home
It could hardly have been more bitter than this as Bayern lose to Chelsea in Munich. With the score tied 1-1 after extra time, the match needed to be decided in a shootout. Bayern keeper Manuel Neuer stopped the first penalty, but Chelsea were flawless from then on. Then Ivica Olic was foiled by Chelsea keeper Petr Cech, while Bastian Schweinsteiger (photo) saw his effort come back off the post.
Image: picture alliance/dpa/sampics/S. Matzke
2013: Victory in all-German affair in London
Arjen Robben is the hero in the all-German final at Wembley. The Dutch striker scores the winning goal in the penultimate minute to give the Bayern a 2-1 victory over Borussia Dortmund, then coached by Jürgen Klopp. After having won the Bundesliga and the Champions League, Jupp Heynckes' side would go on to win the German Cup to complete the treble.
Image: AFP/Getty Images/A. Yates
2020: Win against Paris Saint-Germain
At the end of an unprecedented season, Bayern produced an unprecedented success story clinching the club's second treble with their sixth Champions League title. Paris-born Kingsley Coman scored the only goal of the game to close out the finals tournament in Lisbon. Given its abbreviated form, the German record titleholders won all 11 games in the competition - a first in Champions League history.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/M. Childs
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Elsewhere there was some gloating over the failure of the expensively-assembled French champions. "PSG, the great illusion: €1.3 billion not to win the Champions League" screamed Italy's La Gazetta dello Sport while the more sober New York Times opted to call it "A victory for tradition and team."
The press in Germany, naturally enough, focused on a Bayern team transformed under Flick. "With a sense of invincibility: Seldom has a team won the Champions League as superiorly and deservedly as Bayern," read a piece in the broadsheet Suddeutsche Zeitung.
Tabloid Bild compared this team with the treble winners of 2013. "After the Super Bayern of Jupp Heynckes in 2013, comes the Mega Bayern of Hansi Flick" a headline read.
The last word goes to the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, who wrote that "no other Munich triumph in the Champions League was as deserved as this one." Given the competition from Bayern's previous five winning teams, that's some praise.