- “Gabriel’s penalty shootout miss gives PSG their second consecutive European Cup.”
- Coach Luis Enrique attributes the victory to his team’s resilience.
- Arsenal’s Rice calls the loss devastating and praises the team’s progress.
Paris St Germain held their nerve in a cagey Champions League final to retain the title by beating Arsenal 4-3 on penalties as Saturday’s thrilling showdown ended 1-1 after extra time, cementing the French team’s status among modern Europe’s greats.
Arsenal defender Gabriel fired his penalty over Matvey Safonov’s crossbar at the Puskas Arena, and his miss confirmed PSG as the first club to retain the trophy since Real Madrid completed their three-year reign from 2016 to 2018.
Long dismissed as glamorous underachievers despite their 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 team had beaten Inter Milan 5-0 to win Europe’s elite trophy for the first time.
“As a club and as a city, it is incredible to win and I think we deserved it throughout the season. The final was a real battle,” added the Spanish coach.
The result left Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice devastated but proud that his team finished their European campaign without losing a single match, apart from defeat on penalties in the final.
“It’s heartbreaking. It’s devastating to lose a Champions League final on penalties,” he said. “But we try to take a lot of perspective on how far we’ve come as a group.
“It has been an incredible season. Taking into account absolutely everything so far. We took the game to penalties. It’s a lottery.”
The biggest stage in Europe
Eleven days after celebrating their first Premier League title in 22 years, Arsenal looked set for their first win on Europe’s biggest stage after Kai Havertz’s sixth-minute opener and a first hour spent stifling PSG’s vaunted attack.
However, the final became chaotic when PSG’s Ousmane Dembélé equalized with a penalty in the 65th minute, and the pace became frenetic before fatigue took the match to a penalty shootout.
With Luis Enrique, PSG has won the six rounds it has played. The 56-year-old has won 12 of the 13 club finals he has coached.
After brushing aside Premier League rivals on their way to the final by eliminating Chelsea and Liverpool, PSG faced a much tougher test against an Arsenal team playing in its second Champions League final after losing to Barcelona in 2006.
Mikel Arteta’s team took the lead when a 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: being at a disadvantage so early against the best defense in the competition.
Arsenal lived up to their reputation as the best team without the ball and seemed perfectly satisfied with the script, doubling Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and stifling the usual danger that the Georgian wizard brought on the left flank.
PSG’s Fabián Ruiz was unable to impose his usual rhythm in midfield and, despite monopolizing possession for long periods, Luis Enrique’s team struggled to create clear-cut chances.
At half-time, PSG had attacked 32 times and Arsenal three times.
Arsenal, however, flirted with the limits with their challenges, and Cristhian Mosquera brought down Kvaratskhelia in the area, and Dembélé converted the penalty to equalize with his eighth goal in the competition.
Momentum changes
The momentum had changed.
Jurrien Timber and Viktor Gyokeres replaced Mosquera, and Martin Odegaard and Arsenal were more attacking-minded, but were exposed to PSG counter-attacks and at the end of one, Kvaratskhelia raced into the box, only for his left-footed shot to crash just outside David Raya’s post.
After controlling the tempo in the first half, Arsenal played into PSG’s hands as the tempo increased 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 abruptly ending the final when Vitinha’s shot grazed the top of the net. Barcola also shot over the crossbar after a counterattack in what would have been the last shot of the game.
With both teams losing steam, extra time was a cautious affair, and when referee Daniel Siebert blew his whistle, Arsenal had only managed one shot on goal.
Arsenal’s Eberechi Eze missed his penalty before Raya saved Nuno Mendes’ attempt. Gabriel had to score to keep the Gunners’ hopes alive but, facing PSG’s end, he shot wide.
The French team had to celebrate once again being European champions, and Lucas Beraldo’s goal, substitute in extra time, in the penalty shootout proved to be the winner.
