Achraf Hakimi emerged as the unexpected hero for Paris Saint-Germain, opening the scoring against Inter Milan in the 2024–25 UEFA Champions League final. With his goal, the Moroccan star joined an exclusive club in Champions League history.
PSG squared off with Inter in pursuit of the first Champions League title in club history. Entering the matchup as one of the favorites, the French giants took an early lead with a beautifully executed team play.
With PSG controlling possession, Vitinha threaded a precise through ball into the box for Desire Doue. After a smooth first touch, Doue delivered a perfectly timed pass across the face of goal, where Hakimi tapped it home to score PSG’s first-ever goal in a Champions League final in the 12th minute.
Hakimi becomes third to score in a final vs. former club
With his strike against Inter, Hakimi became just the third player in Champions League history to score in the final against a former team. The right back spent the 2020–21 season with Inter before making the move to Paris.
The first to achieve this rare feat was Dutch winger Arjen Robben in the 2011–12 final. Facing his former club Chelsea, Robben gave Bayern Munich the lead before Didier Drogba’s late equalizer and a penalty shootout win for the Blues.
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Video: Hakimi scores great opening goal in the Champions League final for PSG against Inter
The second instance came in the 2019–20 final when Kingsley Coman, a PSG academy product, headed home the lone goal for Bayern Munich to defeat his boyhood club.
Before kickoff, Hakimi shared warm greetings with his former Inter teammates. After scoring, he offered an apologetic gesture to the Inter supporters, who responded with applause for his sportsmanship. Despite the emotional weight, Hakimi now has his name etched into Champions League history.
