Masters of Europe: In PSG's first, a benchmark for class

The 5-0 defeat of Inter in Champions League final makes Luis Enrique's young, skillful and fearless team the one to watch out for

- Dhiman Sarkar

KOLKATA: The Champions League trophy has a new home. One where it could now be a frequent visitor if what a young and skillful Paris St-Germain (PSG) did this summer is any indication.

Till Saturday, the Champions League had meant heartbreak for PSG. It was against them that Barcelona showed impossible was nothing, Marcus Rashford helped Manchester United escape to victory and Karim Benzema scored a hat-trick as Real Madrid pulled off a heist. Borussia Dortmund stunned them last term and the only time they had played the final before this, PSG had come up short.

PSG compensated for all that hurt, for 12 successive knockout round qualifications ending in disappointment, with so much style and substance that the 5-0 dismantling of Inter Milan can now be a benchmark for excellence. Their energy made Inter look inert and, suddenly, very old. And PSG's finesse threw into sharp relief the heavy touches and misplaced passes from the three-time former champions who were in search of a treble not so long ago.

"The image that remains cancels a bit the great season that we have had," midfielder Nicolo Barella said after Inter's second Champions League final in three seasons.