Paris Saint-Germain secured back-to-back Champions League triumphs with a 4-3 shoot-out win over Arsenal following a 1-1 draw after extra time on Saturday, with Eberechi Eze and Gabriel failing to convert from the spot.
Twenty years after their first final loss against Barcelona in 2006, Mikel Arteta’s Premier League winners suffered a second final loss despite their remarkable perseverance in extending the match past 120 minutes in Budapest.
Desire Doue, a winger for PSG, told TNT Sports, “We are so, so proud, so happy, so grateful.”
“I think we deserve that as a team and as a family. Look at the fans, we are so happy.”
After 55 years of development—14 of those under Qatari ownership—PSG’s first victory might usher in what they believe will be a period of domination and dynasty-building.
PSG player Fabian Ruiz told Movistar, “It was Real Madrid, and now it’s us too.”
“They played defence the entire time, and football is fair. Today, the right team prevailed.”
Luis Enrique quickly and effectively rebuilt the team by benching the club’s top players and assembling a coherent, dedicated offensive unit that could destroy opponents at a terrifying rate.
With his third Champions League victory, the Spaniard became one of just five coaches to accomplish a hat-trick; the first came with Barcelona in 2015.
After six minutes, Kai Havertz gave Arsenal the lead, making it seem improbable for a moment. However, Ousmane Dembele’s penalty midway through the second half sent a close game into extra time and, eventually, a spot kick.
Jurrien Timber of Arsenal was healthy following a groin injury, but Arteta moved Cristhian Mosquera to right-back due to his rust from more than two months away.
Additionally, the coach chose Havertz over Viktor Gyokeres in attack, and for an hour, it appeared that his decisions would be successful.
Luis Enrique picked ten members of the team who defeated Inter Milan 5-0 in the previous year’s championship game, allowing PSG to finally win the trophy they had long yearned for.
Twenty years ago, in Arsenal’s only previous final, German custodian Jens Lehmann was dismissed early on as the team lost.
At the Puskas Arena, they had a far better start, with Lehmann’s countryman Havertz giving the Gunners the lead after only six minutes.
After Marquinhos’s attempted clearance struck Leandro Trossard and rolled into his path, Havertz—who scored the game-winning goal in Chelsea’s 2021 Champions League final victory—could not believe his good fortune.
In the direction of Matvey Safonov’s goal, the forward sprinted into free space behind PSG’s defence. Havertz fired a shot into the net’s roof despite having a difficult angle to overcome.
Against a frugal Arsenal team that had given up just six goals en route to the final, PSG had the worst start imaginable.
Luis Enrique’s team controlled the ball but were unable to penetrate Arsenal’s defensive stronghold thanks to their methodical defence, which kept the Parisians at bay with perfect ease.
Picking Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s pocket was a brilliant last-ditch challenge from Gabriel. Despite being the greatest player of the tournament, the explosive Georgian was denied breathing room in the first half.
The French champs called for a penalty. When Bukayo Saka botched a clearance effort and the ball struck both of his arms, the referee Daniel Siebert seemed unfazed.
After the break, PSG moved the ball more quickly in an attempt to weaken Arsenal’s defence after being reduced to frustrated long-range efforts.
Before Kvaratskhelia got a chance, Arsenal keeper David Raya stopped a bouncing free kick from Achraf Hakimi. With a sloppy foul, Mosquera shoved the winger down in the box following his deft one-two with Dembele.
PSG supporters lit many flares in joy after Dembele gave Raya a low penalty to equalise the score. They tied the all-time record with their 45th goal of the competition.
PSG nearly established a new one, but Myles Lewis-Skelly diverted Kvaratskhelia’s shot against the post as
A tired Arsenal suddenly gave the French team too much space, and substitute Bradley Barcola missed a great opportunity in the half before extra time.
When substitute Noni Madueke fell under pressure from Nuno Mendes, the Gunners begged for a penalty of their own, but it would have been unfair to the PSG defender the winger was dragging.
It was a shootout, and PSG was confident after winning their last five games and taking home three titles on penalties this season. In front of their own fans.
Eze’s shot went wide as Arsenal blinked first, but Raya then stopped PSG’s Mendes. Declan Rice tied the score at two with a home run.
Arsenal defender Gabriel had the fifth kick for his team after Lucas Beraldo gave the Ligue 1 winners a 4-3 lead. Gabriel sent it high over the crossbar to give PSG the trophy.
In the Champions League era, Luis Enrique’s team became just the second, after Real Madrid, to win the competition in back-to-back years.
