- Gabriel’s shootout miss gives PSG the 2nd European Cup in a row.
- Manager Luis Enrique credits his side’s resilience for the win.
- Arsenal’s Rice calls the loss devastating and praises the team’s progress.
Paris St. Germain held his nerve in a casing Champions League final to retain the title by beating Arsenal 4-3 on penalties as Saturday’s nail-biting clash ended 1-1 after extra time, cementing the French side’s status among Europe’s modern giants.
Arsenal defender Gabriel blasted his spot-kick over Matvey Safonov’s crossbar at the Puskas Arena, his miss confirming PSG as the first club to retain the trophy since Real Madrid ended their three-year reign from 2016 to 2018.
Long dismissed as glamorous underachievers despite vast resources, the Ligue 1 champions have now forged a dynasty under Luis Enrique, combining attacking brilliance with resilience to establish themselves as the dominant force in European football.
“It’s stronger than last year because we knew before the game how difficult it would be to play against Arsenal,” said Luis Enrique, whose side had thrashed Inter Milan 5-0 to claim Europe’s elite trophy for the first time.
“As a club and a city, it’s incredible to win and I think we’ve deserved it during the season. The final was a real battle,” added the Spanish coach.
The result left Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice devastated but proud as his side ended their European campaign without losing a game apart from the shootout defeat in the final.
“It’s sad. It’s devastating to lose a Champions League final on penalties,” he said. “But we try to take a big perspective based on how far we have come as a group.
“An unbelievable season. Gave it absolutely everything up to this point. We took the game to penalties. It’s a lottery.”
Europe’s biggest stage
Eleven days after celebrating their first Premier League title in 22 years, Arsenal looked set for a maiden triumph on Europe’s biggest stage after Kai Havertz’s sixth-minute opener and an opening hour spent stifling PSG’s vaunted attack.
However, the final turned chaotic when PSG’s Ousmane Dembele equalized with a penalty in the 65th minute and the pace became frantic before exhaustion took the game to a penalty shoot-out.
Under Luis Enrique, PSG have won the six shootouts they have contested. The 56-year-old has now won 12 of the 13 individual club finals he has overseen as a coach.
Having brushed aside Premier League opposition en route to the final by eliminating Chelsea and Liverpool, PSG faced a much sterner test against an Arsenal side playing in their second Champions League final after losing to Barcelona in 2006.
Mikel Arteta’s side took the lead when Marquinhos’ clearance bounced off Arsenal’s Leandro Trossard into the path of Havertz, who ran into the box and fired into the roof of the net.
He is the fourth player to score in two different European Cup or Champions League finals with two different clubs.
It was the nightmare scenario for PSG – going behind so early against the best defense in the competition.
Living up to their reputation as the best team without the ball, Arsenal looked perfectly content with the script, doubling Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and stifling the usual danger the Georgian magician brought on the left flank.
PSG’s Fabian Ruiz was unable to impose his usual rhythm in midfield and despite monopolizing possession for long periods, Luis Enrique’s side struggled to create clear-cut chances.
At the break, PSG had attacked 32 times, Arsenal three times.
However, Arsenal flirted with the limits with their challenges and Cristhian Mosquera brought down Kvaratskhelia in the area, with Dembele converting the penalty to equalize with his eighth goal of the competition.
Momentum shifts
The momentum had changed.
Jurrien Timber and Viktor Gyokeres replaced Mosquera and Martin Odegaard and Arsenal had a more attacking mindset but were exposed to PSG’s counter-attack and at the end of one, Kvaratskhelia sped into the box, only for his left-footed effort to crash onto the outside of David Raya’s post.
After controlling the tempo in the first half, Arsenal played into PSG’s hands as the tempo picked up significantly, giving too much space to Kvaratskhelia or Bradley Barcola, who replaced the Georgian winger with seven minutes remaining.
In the 89th minute, PSG came close to bringing the final to an abrupt end when Vitinha’s shot hit the top of the net. Barcola also shot over the bar after a counter-attack with what would have been the last kick of the game.
With both teams running out of steam, extra time was a cautious affair and when referee Daniel Siebert blew the whistle, Arsenal had only managed one shot on target.
Arsenal’s Eberechi Eze missed his penalty before Raya saved Nuno Mendes’ effort. Gabriel needed to score to keep the Gunners’ hopes alive but, facing PSG’s finish, he fired over.
The French side were to celebrate being European champions once again, with substitute Lucas Beraldo’s extra-time goal proving to be the winner.
