The upcoming UCL final between PSG and Inter Milan marks one of the first duels in the competition’s history.
The final showdown in UCL 2024/25 sees the two unlikely finalists who were not the main favourites this year. Neither PSG nor Inter Milan were expected to go through the summit.
Even during the final four, a lot of fans preferred to see Arsenal and Barcelona in the final.
Strangely, Le Parisien and Nerrazzuri have never squared off before in any continental competitions in history.
They did not even have any record of meetings in the friendly match. No wonder that their first meeting will be historic.
Not to mention that it would be the next Munich final, which traditionally leads to new UCL winners. The Munich magic could be an unlikely decisive factor later.
So, do not be surprised if lady luck could be in favour of Luis Enrique’s side on May 31.
Such might be a special encounter, but the Champions League is, as a matter of fact, no stranger to first duels at the summit.
The meeting between those French and Italian powerhouses in Munich is only one of several of them.
In fact, there have been four first duels in European top-flight competition since the 2000s alone.
The Notable First Duels in UCL Finals since the Millennium
FC Porto vs AS Monaco (2004)
The first one in the 2000s was the unlikely final between FC Porto and AS Monaco. They were the less-favourite sides to reach the summit in that season and managed to knock out a number of big teams to go through.
The Portuguese champion had to ease past one of the elites, Manchester United, in the Round of 16 before seeing off Lyon and Deportivo La Coruna in the following stages.
Their counterpart, Monaco, faced off against the biggest challenge in the latter stages, the quarterfinal and semifinal.
Patrice Evra and Co sent Lokomotiv Moscow first to the exit in the Round of 16 before thumping Real Madrid and Chelsea in a thrilling encounter.
The French side dismantled Los Blancos 3-1 at home after losing 4-2 in Bernabeu. They also snatched another 3-1 win over The Blues in the first leg before securing a berth in the summit with a 2-2 draw in the reverse fixture.
Their clash was held in Gelsenkirchen, but it did not turn out to be an exciting match. Porto-Monaco was rather dull compared to the other first duels. Both sides traded chances but barely had clear ones.
Didier Deschamps’s men could not even break the Portuguese’s strong defence from the second line. Porto eventually crushed them 3-0 with a goal each from Carlos Alberto, Deco and Dmitri Alenichev.
Interestingly, it remains their one and only encounter in the continental competition. Both have yet to face off again ever since.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: Epic Breakthrough: Crystal Palace End 164-Year Trophy Drought With FA Cup Glory
Liverpool vs AC Milan (2005)
This match has been undoubtedly the most entertaining one compared to the other three first duels. In fact, it has been famous for the most thrilling final in UCL history.
The clash between the Reds and the Rossoneri has been tipped as one of the best finals in the European competition.
Prior to the 2005 final, neither side had faced off before despite having won the European Cup multiple times. Liverpool had won it four times in 1977, 1978, 1981 and 1984, whereas AC Milan did it six times in 1963, 1969, 1989, 1990, 1994 and 2003.
Carlo Ancelotti’s men were the favourite at the time. They still had the best squad from the 2003 edition, plus Kaká, Hernán Crespo and Jon Dahl Tomasson as the great additions up front. They managed to defeat Manchester United, Inter Milan and PSV Eindhoven in the knockout stage.
Rafael Benitez’s side, on the other hand, was struggling to reach the summit. They had to strive to see off Juventus and Chelsea at the quarter-finals and semi-finals after an easy win over Bayer Leverkusen in the Round of 16.
The game which was held in Istanbul is a pure classic. The first half belonged to Milan as they took the three-goal lead before the interval. Paolo Maldini opened the scoring, followed by Crespo’s brace.
The second half, however, saw an unexpected comeback from the English side. Steven Gerrard’s header found the back of the net. That goal struck his teammates to do something impossible, and they did.
Vladimir Smicer netted the second to give them a lifeline before Xabi Alonso bagged an equaliser from a rebound penalty of his own. All three goals were only scored within the span of six minutes!
The magic moment continued as Milan’s star, Andriy Shevchenko, squandered two golden chances in front of the goal. The match went on to penalties, and it was the Reds who became the victor.
Their shot-stopper, Jerzy Dudek, made two important saves in the shootout as he denied Andrea Pirlo’s and Shevchenko’s shot.
Interestingly, Rossoneri had a chance to do a rematch in the same exact stage, the final, in 2007. Gennaro Gattuso and Co finally had their revenge with a 2-1 victory in Athens.
That was the only positive result for the Italians. In the next three meetings, the Reds have been too superior, including the encounter this season at the league stage.
Manchester City vs Inter Milan (2023)
Istanbul once again hosted the second first duels in the 2023 final as Manchester City took on Inter Milan. UEFA originally named Munich as the host, but such was changed due to the pandemic.
The Cytizens reached the second UCL final in two years after their failure in the 2021 edition. They were on the hunt for their first Big Ear trophy as well as a treble winner.
Pep Guardiola’s men did not have much difficulty to progress as they knocked out RB Leipzig, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid with convincing wins and aggregates.
On the other hand, Inter had to strive to go through each stage, relying on narrow wins against Porto and Benfica before thrashing AC Milan 3-0 on aggregate in the final four.
The game itself was tight as both teams had several clinical chances. Yet, both backlines managed to keep their opposition at bay until Manchester City broke the deadlock with Rodri’s strike in the six-yard box.
Inter responded by creating more opportunities in the final third, which put John Stones and Co. under pressure.
They finally held on and came out as a winner and clinched the coveted title. They are the last new UCL champions to date.
Main Photo
Credit: IMAGO / Avalon.red
Recording Date: 29.04.2025