UCL: Bayern crowned kings of Europe as Coman haunts PSG

Paris Saint-Germain 0-1 Bayern Munich, Estadio da Luz
(Coman 59')

A thrilling feast of attacking football it wasn’t, but a high-quality game was settled by Kingsley Coman. The man born in Paris 24 years ago and discarded as a teenager by the club he supported as a boy — and made history as the youngest player to ever represent them — has now made history against them. For all the money thrown at the PSG project by their Qatari owners, the source of the winning goal is more than a little ironic.

Read more: Opinion — Flick's treble achievement unparalleled in modern era

The crucial moment was a header at the far post in the 59th minute, but the simplicity of the finish belied an incisive Bayern move that involved Thiago Alcantara and Joshua Kimmich. The German champions and cup winners had come into the game as favorites but struggled to impose themselves as an attacking force, with Robert Lewandowski going closest in the first half when his quick pivot and shot came back off the post on 22 minutes.

It wasn’t a game that created the number of opportunities many expected, and PSG showed a resistance many thought was beyond them — but Bayern were clinical when their moment came.

Record breakers

Bayern become the first team to win the Champions League by winning all of their games, but that just scratches the surface of what they’ve achieved in this phenomenal season. 

The highlights of their campaign have been the 7-2 battering of Tottenham Hotspur in October and the 8-2 thrashing of Barcelona just over a week ago, which contributed to the 42 goals scored in 11 games, producing a higher goals-per-game ratio than any previous winners. But to focus on the numbers, detracts from the beauty with which this Bayern team play the game.

The Bavarians end the season 30 games unbeaten — including 29 wins — and Lewandowski finishes the season with a stunning total of 55 goals, a seemingly endless season in which the Pole has scored as a 30, 31 and 32-year-old. The striker has resisted the calls of Real Madrid and others during his time at Bayern, and his decision to remain in Bavaria has finally been vindicated.

Flick defies the odds

While it may seem like everything Hansi Flick touches turns to gold, the man with the Midas Touch had some big decisions to make before the game. He resisted the urge to take a more conservative approach given the quality of opposition, and instead sacrificed the in-form Ivan Perisic with Coman. It was a surprising call given the Croat's form, but Flick's decison-making was on the money yet again.

Flick’s achievements since replacing Niko Kovac in November have been nothing short of miraculous. Kovac’s final game was a 5-1 defeat at Eintracht Frankfurt, a game where Bayern were so insipid that this kind of night seemed beyond their wildest dreams. In a few short months Flick has galvanized the team, reinstated Munich’s favorite son Thomas Müller, and established a brand of flowing, progressive football that is the envy of Europe. One wonders what he'll do in his second season.

Bayern have reached the promised land, and along with Jupp Heynckes, Ottmar Hitzfeld, Dettmar Cramer and Udo Lattek, Flick has joined the pantheon of Bayern greats.

As it happened:

FULL-TIME --- That's the game! One single goal sealed victory for Bayern and it came from none other than Kingsley Coman, the former PSG youth player.

Bayern dominated possession, pressed PSG into their own half at the right moments and created the better chances. PSG will still be ruing their own missed opportunities, particularly in the first half from star players Neymar and Kylian Mbappe.

1-0 the final score and a Bayern claim their first treble since 2013. What a debut season from Hansi Flick, he's performed wonders this season.

90 +2' - CHANCE! Mbappe slides Neymar through on goal, he squeezes a shot away but it goes agonisingly wide. PSG's finishing has been well off tonight.

It arrived from a counter attack after Lewandowski looked to have been felled in the box. A couple of penalty calls for both sides have been waved away.

90 +1' - Five minutes of extra time!

90' - Mbappe is free on goal. One on one with Neuer. And he still can't finish. Was more than 20 meters offside, but still should finish there.

86' - Thiago off for Tolisso. He's been the man of the match for me. What a player. What a send off if this is his last match for the club and Bayern clinch the win. A huge performance, the way he glides through games, picking out passes with ease, never rushed, always chill. A brilliant player.

84' - Coutinho fires a free-kick wide of Navas' post. Thiago Silva picks up a yellow for a foul on Lewandowski. Bayern look fairly comfortable here.

81' - Neymar into the book now after a pretty bad slip on Lewandowski. Nowhere near the ball. Moments later the Pole fires wide, but he was called offside.

79' - Bayern have had 63 percent of possession so far. Shows how proactive they've been and how effective their press has been as well.

76' - PSG have two penalty shouts, one apiece from Neymar and Mbappe, turned down. The second one looked like Kimmich made contact with Mbappe. No VAR.

70' - CHANCE! Neuer to the rescue again. This time sticking out a leg to deny Marquinhos.

68' - Double substitution for Bayern. Goalscorer Coman off for Ivan Perisic, while Serge Gnabry makes way for Philippe Coutinho. Not bad replacements to bring off the bench...

65' - Tuchel makes the first move. Marco Verratti is on for Paredes. Strong player to bring off the bench, let's see if the Italian can make a difference.

63' - CHANCE! Coman at the far post once again, beats Navas, but Silva clears the ball. It was heading wide regardless, to be fair. Flick's decision to start Coman is really paying off.

62' - Well that was a very timely goal for Bayern, just as the game was dipping into a bit of a lull. You can't say they don't deserve it, they've certainly been the more proactive side across the game so far. And they're still controlling possession and pushing for a killer second.

59' - GOAL!!! Kingsley Coman heads home at the far post. Joshua Kimmich with a beautifully weighted ball. Fantastic goal. Coman left totally unmarked, however.

56' - Niklas Süle now goes into the book for ramming into the back of Di Maria. Match has turned into a bit of a scrapfest in this second half to be honest.

51' - Bit of argy-bargy between the two teams after a few scuffles involving Serge Gnabry. The Bayern forward is dealt a yellow card for a foul on Neymar, while Paredes gets one for his reaction. Play on.

46' - Back underway! You really feel that this could be decided by a single goal. Pre-match I would have expected it to be a higher scoring affair. Let's see how this turns out.

HALFTIME -- Breathe. It's all square at the break but there should have probably been a few breakthroughs in an enjoyable 45 minutes of footy. Lewandowski and Neymar with the best chances, the post coming to PSG's rescue and Neuer saving Bayern's skin.

But PSG really should have made the most of a late defensive lapse. Mbappe and Herrera traded passes before a harmless shot from the former failed to test Neuer. A real let off for Bayern.

On the penalty? It's a no from me. But you've seen them given.

45' + 2' - A penalty shout as Coman goes under from a Kehrer challenge, but the referee isn't impressed. There was an arm on the shoulder, but debatable whether it was enough to bring Coman down.

45' CHANCE! How have PSG not scored there??? A shocking defensive lapse from Alaba gifts Mbappe the ball in the box. The forward decides to lay off to Herrera, who in turn returns the ball to Mbappe but his shot is straight at Neuer. Massive opportunity lost for PSG, they really should be leading.

41' - Bayern are finishing this period stronger with PSG struggling to get out of their own half. That said, the Bavarian haven't been able to fashion any more chances, with a few delicious balls into the box going unpunished.

31' - CHANCE! Lewandowski gets his head down low to meet a cross, but Navas is equal to it. Straight at him to be fair. Kimmich with the ball in. Both teams are getting forward. It's a fun game so far!

29' - Herrera pings a lovely struck shot towards goal from the edge of the box. It's on target, with Neuer diving, but it takes a late deflection and go out for a goal-kick.

28' - First yellow card of the match, Alphonso Davies goes in the book after Thilo Kehrer gets the best out of him close to the byline. Free-kick for PSG.

25' - Early substitute with Jerome Boateng coming off injured. Niklas Süle replaces him. Big moment for the young Germany international, he's spent most of the season on the sidelines,

24' - CHANCE! It's all happening now, this game is wide open. Di Maria hits a very good opportunity high over the bar after Herrera's clever through ball. A static Bayern defense were caught ball-watching. 

22' - POST! Bayern hit back now, Lewandowski with his first chance. Takes possession inside the box with his back to goal, turns neatly and fires in a shot. Out of Navas's reach but the woodwork comes to PSG's rescue.

18' - CHANCE! Massive double save from Manuel Neuer. One-on-one with Neymar and the Germany number one comes out on top. Marc-Andre ter who? 

14' - Mbappe has a sniff at goal but his shot is quite comfortably blocked by Goretzka. Game evening out as PSG gain more of a foothold.

9' - Goretzka coughs up possession in a dangerous area and Thiago is forced to foul Mbappe. Free-kick PSG in a good position... but Davies heads the ball away from danger.

5' - Bayern have also refused to abandon their incredibly high defensive line. They're pacing the halfway line, giving PSG absolutely no inch. This is prime for a proper Mbappe/Davies sprint-off!

2' - There was talk of Hansi Flick perhaps changing tactics in the face of Paris Saint-Germain. Ha, no chance! Bayern's intense pressing game is already in full effect. They force a turnover on the edge of PSG's box but possession is wasted. Frantic opening from the Bundesliga champs!

KICK-OFF - We're away in Lisbon, what a massive 90 minutes (potentially more) we've got on our hands! This is what they're playing for...

20:58 Not much more either coach can do now, it's up the players. Who's got the mentality to see out this match?

20:55 The players are getting ready to come out. Thomas Müller looks chill as always. He's been here before.

20:30 Warm-ups done and dusted. Bayern look focused.

20:10 No real surprises for PSG, they've named a strong starting lineup with the added bonus of a returning Keylor Navas. That forward line of Neymar, Kylian Mbappe, and Angel Di Maria will really test Bayern's high defensive line and lack of pace outside Alphonso Davies.

20:05 Slightly harsh on Perisic, who scored a pretty clutch goal against Barcelona and started in the 3-0 defeat of Lyon as well. But a huge moment for Kingsley Coman after his injury woes over the past couple of years. 

19:55 The teams are out for this massive clash in Lisbon! Everything at stake here and Paris Saint-Germain have gone with the tried and trusted outfield lineup that saw them stroll towards the final against RB Leipzig. Keylor Navas returns in goal after missing the semifinal.

Bayern Munich have made just one change as they chase the treble... Kingsley Coman coming in for Ivan Perisic.

Hello and welcome to DW's coverage of the 2020 Champions League final between PSG and Bayern Munich. Our liveblog goes LIVE at 20:00 CEST, but until then get the pre-match lowdown on all the major talking points.You can also read our Champions League final preview here.

Players gearing up for final

It's game day and the players are getting excited for the big showdown. For Alphonso Davies, this time last year he still hadn't made his full debut for Bayern Munich.

The left-back is now one of Hansi Flick's standout stars and will be crucial in negating the pace of PSG's attack.

Goals, goals, goals

Bayern Munich have been setting all kinds of records in this season's Champions League. If they score three more against PSG, they'll equal the record set by Barcelona in 1999/20 of 45 goals in a single campaign — although Bayern will only play 11 games, whereas Barca played 16.

Lewa on a roll 

While PSG have scored 25 goals in 10 games on the run to its first final, Robert Lewandowski and Serge Gnabry have netted 24 between them as part of Bayern's overall haul of 42. With 15 goals and six assists in Europe, Lewandowski is enjoying the season of his life. Only Cristiano Ronaldo — with 17 goals for Real Madrid in 2013-14 — has scored more in a Champions League campaign. "Lewandowski has been amazing,'' Bayern winger Kingsley Coman said. "He has been the best player of the season and in the world."

French resistance

French clubs haven't had much success in the Champions League or European Cup. PSG become only the fifth French finalist and the first since Monaco lost to Jose Mourinho's Porto in 2004, and only one of the previous four finalists have gone on to lift the trophy — Marseille in 1993.

Germany vs. Germany in the dugout

The instructions coming from the dugouts on Sunday will both be from Germans. Thomas Tuchel and Hansi Flick have never met before as head coaches and become the first all-German coaches in a Champions League final since the last all-German final in 2013, when Jürgen Klopp's Dortmund were defeated by Jupp Heynckes's Bayern. The president of the German coaching association, Lutz Hangartner, has been talking about the quality of German coaches at the moment.

"It's no coincidence," he said. "It's rather proof that the training of coaches in Germany is very good. I remember what was written when German football was in the doldrums," he said after no Bundesliga club reached the Champions League quarter-finals last season. "Now everything is good again? That's not how it is. You shouldn't live in extremes — but you can enjoy the moment."

Flick lauds Bayern's mentality

"The team has the mentality to do everything for victory. We can only win if we are at 100 percent. To measure yourself against the best is fun for every player. We have a plan and hope that we can implement it. Sunday is a special game."

Flick won't change approach

"We want to push through our philosophy. It distinguishes us and guaranteed our success. We will not change it. We must put pressure on the ball. PSG have a lot of quality, pace and top stars but we must not give them the space to play their passes."

Expected line-ups

PSG (4-3-3): Rico; Kehrer, Thiago Silva, Kimpembe, Bernat; Marquinhos, Herrera, Paredes; Di Maria, Neymar, Mbappe

Bayern Munich (4-2-3-1): Neuer; Kimmich, Boateng, Alaba, Davies; Goretzka, Thiago; Gnabry, Müller, Perisic; Lewandowski