HIGHLIGHTS
FULL TIME: There goes the final whistle and Bayern Munich is the European champion! It wins its sixth UCL title, becomes the third-best behind Real Madrid (13), AC Milan (7) and equals Liverpool (6).
90 + 2' Lewandowski crashes as Bayern wins a freekick at PSG's end. The French side, however, unleashes a fierce counter-attack after the setpiece is taken. Mbappe plays it on to Neymar on the left before rushing on. The Brazilian striker tries to find Choupo Moting but in vain.
90' Five minutes have been added on.
89' Choupo-Moting feeds one to Mbappe even as he loses his balance within the box. The Frenchman has a shot from 10 yards out. Neuer makes a fabulous save again but turns out Mbappe was offside anyway.
86' SUBSTITUTION: Tolisso IN. Thiago OUT.
86'
Yellow, again! Kurzawa has been cautioned after executing a foul on Kimmich.
83' Yellow! Silva will get the card now after tripping up Lewandowski on the run. Bayern wins a freekick and Coutinho swings it some yards wide.
81' Neymar is getting increasingly frustrated - all the more evident as he brings Lewandowski down at the break. Gets a yellow for his deed as well.
79' SUBSTITUTION: Kurzawa comes on for Bernat. Di Maria walks off. Choupo-Moting is in.
77' Verratti tries to find Mbappe within the area but he miscues it to Davies at the far post who only calmly heads it to Neuer.
74' Was that a penalty? Might have been one. There were no appeals or calls for VAR. Replays, although, suggest that Kimmich did poke Mbappe's foot.
72' SUBSTITUTION: Draxler on, Herrera off.
69' Another phenomenal Neuer save! Di Maria lays out a lovely pass to Marquinhos who takes a shot but it doesn't carry much venom. The German shot-stopper boots it out.
68' DOUBLE SUBSTITUTION: Coman and Gnabry OUT. Perisic and Coutinho IN.
65' SUBSTITUTION: Marco Verratti has been brought on for Paredes.
60' Bayern looks all charged up now. The side almost gets its insurance goal but for Kimpembe who executes a superb diving header to ensure there's no further damage.
56' Yellow! Sule has been given a warning for crashing straight into the backside of Argentine Angel Di Maria.
53' Goretzka has an effort on goal from outside the box but the ball gets deflected to land straight into Navas' arms.
51' YELLOW CARD! Neymar takes a tumble and there is a heated exchange of words among the players. Gnabry gets booked for the late challenge. Paredes' name gets on to the ref's book too following some aggressive posturing.
48' PSG skipper Thiago Silva goes down sliding in front of a surging Lewandowski - as Coman looks to pick him out from the left wing - to push the ball out for a corner.
46' No changes have been made by either of the managers at the break. Bayern kick-starts proceedings.
HALF TIME: Well the first half has been all about chances... and so many of them! Mbappe, Neymar, Lewandowski, Herrera... all had their go but have failed to find the back of the net. Things are sure to get heated up in the second half and why not, so?! Thus far, it has been the perfect start to the finale of the
biggest competition in club football !
#StatAttack:
- This is the first time since the restart that Bayern Munich has failed to score in the first half of a game.
- Three of the last four Champions League finals that have been goalless at half-time have involved Bayern Munich: 2011/12, 2012/13 and 2019/20.
45 + 1'
Coman works his way past Kehrer in the zone before going down. All the Bayern players go up, appealing for a penalty, but the referee isn't interested.
44' One PSG pass too many. Bayern was all opened up but Mbappe has driven it straight to Neuer.
43' The Muller master lock continues! Bayern has intelligently played it on to the onrushing German on the right but he couldn't find a route to send a cross back in, courtesy Kimpembe.
42' Kimmich misjudges the power on a corner kick as the ball floats all the way out of the box to Davies on the left.
36' PSG has done its homework as it continues to effectively cramp Muller, restricting his movement and not allowing him to utilise free space, whenever available.
34' Coman seeming more menacing by the minute! His cross, on this occasion, sails straight to Navas.
31' What a contest this is turning out to be! Kimmich sends in a ball from the right, looking to find Lewandowski within the box. The latter gets to the other end and heads it on target but Navas ensures the scoreline remains unchanged.
28' Almost! Herrera goes for it this time having picked up a clearance at the right moment just outside the box. In total control of the shot, he fires, but the ball takes a deflection off Goretzka before going out of play.
24'SUBSTITUTION: Niklas Sule, himself having just recovered from an injury, walks on for Jerome Boateng.
23' Neymar surges on in a counter-attack and picks Herrera. The latter plays it on to Di Maria, who pulls the trigger from lesser than 20 yards out. It flies over.
21' LEWAAANDOWWSKI.......... How has that happened? The Polish striker has struck the upright. Only inches away, he was, from giving his side the lead. An onrushing Davies plays it on to Lewandowski who takes a shot on the turn. It beats Navas but crashes against the woodwork. Unlucky!
18' NEYMAR! Oh no... Tuchel cannot believe it as Neuer saves the day again. The Brazilian star, fed by Mbappe, has a go at goal from close quarters. However, the keeper has denied the low shot from about 10 yards. The rebound has been kicked away for a corner.
14'
Bayern Munich heaves a sigh of relief as PSG looked really threatening in that buildup. Mbappe runs down the left but is held up by Kimmich. Bernat arrives in the nick of time to provide support. The duo work out an attack but Goretzke blocks Mbappe’s effort from 16 yards.
10' Kehrer breaks into a run from the right and sends in a confident cross. Boateng puts it away for a corner. Neymar goes for the far post again but has been denied by the German defence again.
8' Thiago goes knee-to-knee with Mbappe after Thiago loses the ball to the Frenchman. PSG wins a freekick - its first chance to shine in the game? Di Maria's attempt at the back post sees Davies heading it clear.
6' PSG loses possession in the defensive third and Thiago is a little too optimistic to go for goal from a long way out. He ends up firing it to outer space. On another note, Bayern's high-back-line technique is working wonders, thus far, cramping PSG for space.
2' The first freekick of the night has been awarded to the Bavarians after Neymar brings Koman down. Kimmich to take it wide down left. He goes for an inswinger but Silva sees the danger off.
KICKOFF: Peeeep! And the French powerhouse has set the ball rolling. Should have been Istanbul in May but it is Lisbon in August. Here we go!
- The players are out in the middle. Time for the Champions League anthem, ladies and gentlemen!
- The countdown begins. Only five minutes to go for the kickoff!
THE LINEUPS ARE IN!
Bayern Munich coach Hansi Flick has opted for French midfielder Kingsley Coman instead of Ivan Perisic on the left flank for Sunday's Champions League final against Paris St Germain.
Paris-born Coman, who began his career in PSG's youth teams before joining Juventus, should bring extra speed to the flank.
Jerome Boateng is fit to start in the Bayern central defence, having recovered from a knock picked up in the semi-final win over Olympique Lyonnais.
PSG goalkeeper Keylor Navas returns to the starting lineup having recovered from injury but midfielder Marco Verratti has to settle for a place on the bench.
Paris Saint-Germain (4-3-3)
Keylor Navas; Thilo Kehrer, Thiago Silva (capt), Presnel Kimpembe, Juan Bernat; Ander Herrera, Marquinhos, Leandro Paredes; Angel Di Maria, Neymar, Kylian Mbappe
Coach: Thomas Tuchel (GER)
Bayern Munich (4-2-3-1)
Manuel Neuer (capt); Joshua Kimmich, Jerome Boateng, David Alaba, Alphonso Davies; Leon Goretzka, Thiago Alcantara; Serge Gnabry, Thomas Mueller, Kingsley Coman; Robert Lewandowski
Coach: Hansi Flick (GER)
Referee: Daniele Orsato (ITA)
PSG keeper Keylor Navas has recovered from the hamstring injury and replaces Sergio Rico. Bayern Munich, meanwhile, have changed its Champions League lineup for the first time since the restart as Kingsley Coman is all set to replace Ivan Perisic on the left wing.
MATCH PREVIEW
After an unprecedented suspension of the competition, COVID-19 pandemic-enforced changes to the format and a switch of location for the final, the Champions League will conclude in the early hours of Monday (in IST) - 425 days after the first game was played.
Either Paris Saint-Germain will pick up the European Cup for the first time or Bayern Munich will become six-time winner of the continent’s premier competition.
And just a few hundred people, including the coronavirus-checked players and officials, will be allowed to watch the final, which is being played in Lisbon in late August rather than Istanbul in May as originally scheduled, in the stadium.
Never before has the European Cup been handed out in such empty surroundings. There’s none of the usual gathering of tens of thousands of supporters in the host city. Only the large trophy in Rossio - Lisbon’s main central square - gives away that the biggest match in world football is taking place in the Portuguese capital.
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Around Benfica’s stadium, there is not a single sign indicating a game due to be watched on television by hundreds of millions of people on Sunday night will be played inside.
The lack of buzz and atmosphere at this 65th European Cup final will not detract from the magnitude of the occasion for the teams. For the first time since 1998, the final is a meeting between two teams who qualified as domestic champion.
PSG’S mission
Celebrating the 50th anniversary since its formation - after the merger of Paris clubs - PSG is younger than the 65-year-old European Cup. Becoming European champion would be the fulfillment of a nine-year journey of lavish investment since the state of Qatar bought the club.
"They will be the most important 90 minutes of our lives as footballers and in the history of the club,” said Marco Verratti, who has been at PSG for eight years.
More than $1 billion in player investment - including the $222 million world record signing of Neymar in 2017 - has turned PSG into such a dominant force in France. Seven out of the last eight Ligue 1 titles have been captured by PSG and four of the last six campaigns have ended in domestic trebles.
WATCH | PSG's road to the UEFA Champions League final
But PSG had become synonymous with its Champions League collapses, failing to make the semifinals for a quarter-century until this month in Lisbon.
Bayern's quest
Since winning the Champions League for a fifth time in 2013, Bayern has lost four semifinals -- to record 13-time champion Real Madrid (twice), Atletico Madrid and Barcelona.
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Founded in 1900, Bayern established itself as a super club long before states started investing in football, whereas PSG is an extension of soft power by Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. At Bayern, it is the fans who control the football club through a mass membership system.
ALSO WATCH | Bayern Munich's road to the UEFA Champions League final
But a quarter of the business is owned by the sportswear firm Adidas, insurance giant Allianz and carmaker Audi. The acceptance of sponsorship from state-owned Qatar Airways since 2018 has seen the club denounced by human rights groups for accepting financing from a Gulf nation where migrant workers can suffer from inhumane working conditions.
Search for goals
Bayern is a formidable attacking unit. While PSG has 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.
ALSO WATCH | Enjoy a compilation of Robert Lewandowski's best Champions League goals during the 2019-20 season
With 15 goals and six assists in Europe, the 32-year-old Lewandowski is enjoying the best season of his career. 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.”
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But he won’t be in contention for the Ballon D’Or after France Football scrapped the game's top player award this season due to the COVID-19 disruption that saw Ligue 1 curtailed in March with PSG declared champion. Could that decision be reversed if PSG becomes France’s first European champion since Marseille in 1993?
Kylian Mbappe and Neymar would certainly be strong Ballon D’Or contenders. Angel Di Maria would be staking a claim too after revitalizing his career at PSG after a miserable 2014-15 season at Manchester United, with a goal and two assists in the 3-0 semifinal win over Leipzig.
But PSG’s players haven’t got close to Lewandowski’s lethal qualities in front of goal. Mauro Icardi and Mbappe only have five goals each in the Champions League, although Mbappe has contributed five assists.
At the back
The 3-0 victory for Bayern over Lyon in the semifinal looked convincing, but it was only the French side’s poor finishing that prevented it from going ahead. It could prove costly if David Alaba and Jerome Boateng, in central defense for Bayern, give too much space for Mbappe, Di Maria and Neymar.
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It could be an uncomfortable final night in a PSG shirt for the 35-year-old Thiago Silva - alongside Presnel Kimpembe - as Lewandowski looks to add to his 55 goals for this year-long season.
ALSO WATCH | Thiago Silva talks about his first Champions League final
In the Dugout
This is a meeting of two German coaches.
Would Thomas Tuchel still be in charge of PSG had it not been for the 90th-minute recovery to oust Atalanta in the first single-game quarterfinal in Lisbon almost two weeks ago? Winning French titles is the minimum expected of Tuchel. At the end of his second season in charge, the former Borussia Dortmund coach will be judged on his European record by the Qatari leadership.
HEAD-TO-HEAD (H2H)
Bayern Munich and PSG have met eight times previously, all in the UEFA Champions League group stages - PSG has won five of those matches, with Bayern winning the other three, including the most recent game in December 2017.
FORM GUIDE
PSG
in last five matches (in all competitions): W-W-W-W-W
Bayern Munich in last five matches (in all competitions): W-W-W-W-W
STAT ATTACK
- PSG has only reached its third major UEFA final, previously doing so in the 1995-96 and 1996-97 Cup Winners' Cup, winning the former 1-0 against SK Rapid Wien and losing the latter 1-0 against Barcelona.
- Bayern Munich has scored 42 goals on 10 games this season's UEFA Champions League, with only Barcelona in 1999/2000 scoring more in a single campaign (45), although it played 16 games that season.
- Bayern Munich has reached its 11th European Cup/Champions League final, with only Real Madrid playing in more (16). It currently has five titles, the fourth-best behind Real Madrid (13), AC Milan (7) and Liverpool (6).
- This is PSG's first-ever European Cup/Champions League final, becoming the 41st team to reach the showpiece final. The last six teams competing in their first final have all lost, with the last first-time winner being Borussia Dortmund in 1997 against Juventus.
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