Bayern
Munich beat first-time finalists Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in the UEFA
Champions League final in Lisbon to lift their sixth title and complete a
continental treble. Following the loss, PSG boss Thomas Tuchel
defended his 400-million-euro strike force of Neymar and Kylian Mbappe after
they were unable to find a way past their opponents in the final. PSG’s Qatari
owners spent a combined 402 million euros ($474m) on the pair in 2017 to win
this competition.

Neymar, the world’s
most expensive footballer, ended the night with a yellow card and in floods of
tears.

“We want Neymar
and Kylian to score but we can’t ask for it all the time,” said Tuchel.

“I am proud
because ‘Ney’ still had a match with an incredible capacity, he showed his
mentality.

Also read: UEFA Champions League 2020: Bayern Munich win their sixth title, beat PSG 1-0

“For Kylian it
was difficult, he suffered a serious injury, missed a lot of training. It was a
miracle that he was with us at all.”

Mbappe had a great
chance to score but shot straight at goalkeeper Manuel Neuer just before
half-time.

As it was, Kingsley
Coman, for whom PSG was his boyhood club, grabbed the only goal in the second
half.

“I am convinced
that if we had scored the first goal, we’d win the game 1-0,” added
Tuchel.

“I had the
impression that the first goal would decide the fate of this final.”

He added: “We
have to keep this quality to continue on this road.”

But will he still be
in charge when PSG open their new season in the coming week?

“I have a contract,
I don’t know anything else.”

PSG president Nasser
al-Khelaifi insisted the Champions League remains within their grasp.

Also read: Football world reacts to Bayern’s sixth Champions League win

“I am very proud
of my players,” said the Qatari.

“We had a great
season, a great tournament here. Nobody thought we would go to the final.

We were very close to
winning, we did everything to win, but that’s football. We will work next
season to win the Champions League because that is our goal.”

PSG midfielder Ander
Herrera admitted losing the final was tough to take but insisted the mega-rich
French club cannot put their achievements “in the trash”.

“We have built
something important. We have to stay together and start the next dream next
week,” said Spanish international Herrera of a team who have won seven of
the last eight Ligue 1 titles.

Also read: Tale of two cities: ‘Sensational’ for Bayern Munich fans, sadness and tear gas in Paris

“At the moment,
it feels like crap, honestly. But we have to think about it, we have done
something important, something important for the club, for our supporters.

“There are no
words. Tomorrow we’ll think about what we did, the squad we built, the things
we did together.”

Herrera, signed from
Manchester United in 2019, said he was encouraged by what he saw in the final
as PSG “created lots of chances, more than them.”

He also hoped that the
club’s cash-rich but potentially impatient owners from Qatar won’t press the
panic button now that their European dream has been shattered.

“We are not going
to put this in the trash,” said the 31-year-old.