PARIS: Wild celebrations erupted across Paris on Saturday, with thousands of Paris St Germain fans descending on the boutique-lined Champs Elysees boulevard, after their side crushed Italian opponents Inter Milan 5-0 to win the Champions League for the first time.
Inside the club’s Parc des Princes stadium, transformed into a giant fan zone for the night, 48,000 people let out a roar of ecstasy at the final whistle in Munich.
“Total euphoria, crazy atmosphere,“ said Gilles Gailliot who had been watching the game in the Paris stadium. “It made up for the wait and the years of disappointment. Finally Paris and its supporters have been rewarded,“ Gailliot added.
Supporters in the French capital set off fireworks and hung out of moving cars waving PSG scarves, delighting in their side’s first victory in European soccer’s top competition.
Nearby, the Eiffel Tower lit up in PSG’s blue and red colours. On the Rue de Rivoli, which runs past the Louvre museum, joyful crowds thronged the street.
“I couldn’t dream of a better night,“ said 18-year-old Amine. “Let’s spare a thought for Mbappe.”
France striker Kylian Mbappe left PSG for Spanish club Real Madrid last year in pursuit of Champions League glory.
Some 5,400 police were deployed across Paris in anticipation of raucous celebrations.
Police on the Champs Elysees used tear gas and pepper spray to maintain order. A police spokesman said a car was set alight near the Parc des Princes and that several dozen arrests had been made by the time the match ended.
PSG playmaker Ousmane Dembele urged supporters to keep the party festive.
“Let’s celebrate this but not tear everything up in Paris,“ Dembele told Canal+ in a post-match interview.
French President Emmanuel Macron, an ardent supporter of Olympique de Marseille, tweeted: “A glorious day for PSG! Bravo, we are all proud. Paris, the capital of Europe this evening.”
Macron’s office said the president would receive the players at the Elysee Palace on Sunday. The team are also expected to parade down the Champs Elysees.
PSG lost the final to Bayern Munich in 2020 and had teetered on the brink of elimination in the league phase this season before claiming the trophy their deep-pocketed Qatari owners had craved.
On the streets, fans lauded the exploits of Desire Doue, who scored twice, and manager Luis Enrique.
“What (Doue) did tonight is crazy but it is all thanks to Luis Enrique. The guy came and he changed everything,“ supporter Francis Delert said.
