Every UEFA Champions League Final Ranked From Worst To Best
15. Inter Milan 2-0 Bayern Munich (2010)
Inter’s 2-0 victory over Bayern at the Santiago Bernabeu was textbook Jose Mourinho from start to finish, with the Portuguese coach deploying his familiar counter-attacking strategy to draw the Bavarians out and then hit them on the break.
It helped that he had the perfect personnel to pull off such a plan with the likes of Walter Samuel and Javier Zanetti stifling the Bundesliga champions’ attack, while Wesley Sneijder pulled the strings in midfield for Samuel Eto’o and Diego Milito up front.
Such an effective approach might not have made for a thrilling spectacle but there were moments of genuine brilliance, not least in the two goals scored by Milito.
Something of a late bloomer, the Argentine showed incredible composure in front of goal. In the first instance, he scored with a delightful dummied finish, following a one-two with Sneijder while the second saw Milito twist and turn the hapless Daniel Van Buyten inside out before slotting the ball past Hans Jorg Butt.
A masterclass in forward play, both goals came after sustained periods of Bayern pressure, with Arjen Robben proving the German team’s most effective attacking outlet on the day. They were ultimately second best to the individual talents and street savvy of Mourinho’s team.
Though far from being the most closely fought or exciting of contests, the game proved an entertaining spectacle from a tactical standpoint, serving as the moment when the legend of Mourinho was enshrined in football folklore forever.