Arsenal Down and Out

Penalty thriller! PSG defends Champions League title

PSG defends its Champions League title against Arsenal.(Bild: AFP/INA FASSBENDER)

The title defense is complete. PSG prevailed over Arsenal in a penalty shootout, claiming the Champions League title just as they did last year. For the “Gunners,” this marks their second defeat in their second Champions League final in club history.

Paris Saint-Germain has defended its Champions League title. The French champions were crowned European champions on Saturday in Budapest after a 4-3 victory in a penalty shootout against Arsenal in the final, just as they did last year. The score was 1-1 after both 90 and 120 minutes. The Gunners took the lead through Kai Havertz as early as the 6th minute, but Ousmane Dembele equalized with a penalty kick (65th minute). In the shootout, Arsenal’s defensive leader Gabriel sent the tenth penalty kick over the crossbar.

His teammate Eberechi Eze had also missed earlier, and Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya then saved Nuno Mendes’ attempt. Paris thus became only the second team after Real Madrid (champions from 2016 to 2018) to successfully defend the title in the Champions League, which was introduced in 1992. Twenty years after their first attempt in 2006, Arsenal also left the field as losers in their second Champions League final. The team led by Spaniard Mikel Arteta had remained undefeated all the way to the final.

Enrique fielded the winning lineup
PSG coach Luis Enriquerelied onlast year’s champions at the Puskas Arena. With the exception of goalkeeper Matvey Safonov, all players had already been part of the winning final in Munich. Right-back Achraf Hakimi was also fit in time after his injury. In addition to their superior quality of play, the French side’s superstar attack—featuring Dembele, Desire Doue, and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia—was a major advantage. Arsenal countered with their defensive strengths; in the knockout stage, they had not conceded a single goal from open play all the way to the final.

Early Arsenal Lead
The Gunners opened the match with a bang after just five minutes. Havertz, starting up front in place of Viktor Gyökeres, had a clear path after a failed clearance attempt by PSG captain Marquinhos and thundered the ball over Safonov’s shoulder into the net. According to the statistics, the foundation for winning the title had been laid: every team that had taken the lead in the final since 2014 had ultimately gone on to win the title. Five years ago, Havertz had already scored the winning goal for Chelsea in the final against Manchester City.

PSG did not let themselves be deterred. The defending champions set their pressing machine in motion and gave their opponents no breathing room for organized build-up play. Arsenal could barely break free constructively. On one occasion, the path was clear, but Safonov cleared the ball just before Leandro Trossard could reach it. The Russian was struck in the head in the process but was able to continue after receiving treatment. Arsenal rarely had the ball (26 percent possession by halftime) but also didn’t allow any dangerous shots on goal. In stoppage time, Marquinhos blocked Havertz in what may have been a decisive play in the end.

Dembele equalized from the spot
The waiting game for PSG continued. Just over an hour in, however, Arsenal’s defensive wall was breached, and Dembele equalized from the penalty spot. Cristhian Mosquera had clearly struck Kvaratskhelia on the leg after the latter’s one-two with Dembele. The game opened up. Havertz’s pass to Bukayo Saka was too imprecise, and Kvaratskhelia hit the outside of the post with a slightly deflected shot following a counterattack across half the field. PSG came closer to a “lucky punch”: in the 89th minute, a shot by Vitinha whizzed just over the crossbar, and seconds before the end of regulation time, Bradley Barcola was pushed off course on his way toward the goal.

Gabriel missed the decisive penalty.(Bild: AP/Andreea Alexandru)

Few chances in the closing stages
Both teams were running out of steam, and the attacking lines had been reshuffled by extra time at the latest. Without Dembele and Kvaratskhelia, PSG posed significantly less of a threat. Arsenal vehemently appealed for a penalty after Noni Madueke went down in a footrace with Nuno Mendes (102'). German referee Daniel Siebert waved it off, and the VAR did not intervene. No further major chances arose. The match went to a penalty shootout. There, the French side kept their cool.

Champions League, Final:

Paris Saint-Germain – Arsenal FC 4–3 on penalties, 1–1 after extra time (1–1, 0–1).
Budapest, Puskas Arena, 61,400 spectators, Referee Siebert (GER)

Goals: 0–1 (6') Havertz 1–1 (65') Dembele (penalty)

Penalty shootout: 1–0 G. Ramos 1–1 Gyökeres 2–1 Doue 2–1 Eze misses 2–1 Mendes – Raya saves 2–2 Rice 3–2 Hakimi 3–3 Martinelli 4–3 Beraldo 4–3 Gabriel misses

PSG: Safonov – Hakimi, Marquinhos (106' Zabarnyi), Pacho, N. Mendes – J. Neves, Vitinha (106' Beraldo), F. Ruiz (95' Zaire-Emery) – Doue, Dembele (90'+6 G. Ramos), Kvaratskhelia (83' Barcola)

Arsenal: Raya – Mosquera (66. Timber), Saliba, Gabriel, Hincapie – Rice, Lewis-Skelly (91. Zubimendi) – Saka (83. Madueke), Ödegaard (66. Gyökeres), Trossard (83. Martinelli) – Havertz (91. Eze)

Yellow cards: Neves, Mendes; Mosquera, Saka, Gyökeres, Rice