Gunners beaten in intense penalty shootout
Arsenal suffered a heartbreaking defeat in the Champions League final in Budapest, after French PSG won the penalty shootout.
Gabriel sent the last penalty of the night over the crossbar, securing a 4-3 victory on penalties. PSG thus retain the title they won last season.
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Kai Havertz gave Arsenal the lead early in the game, but Ousmane Dembélé equalised on penalties and sent the final to extra time and then a penalty shootout.
Eberechi Eze also missed his penalty, and Luis Enrique’s team could finally celebrate.
PSG dominated the ball – but struggled to score
PSG had a whopping 76 percent possession, but struggled to create clear chances against Mikel Arteta’s hard-working and disciplined team.
They attempted 21 shots to Arsenal’s eight, and they completed four times as many passes as their opponent – 837 to 199 to be precise.
Gabriel and William Saliba were huge throughout the game. Arsenal fell deep and frustrated the French after Havertz’s brilliant opening goal.
Havertz scored – again in a final
A loose ball came to the former Chelsea player out on the left wing, and he headed straight for goal. He had Bukayo Saka as support, but chose to go himself from a tight angle – and hammered the ball into the net.
Havertz also scored the winning goal for Chelsea in 2021, when they beat Manchester City in the Champions League final.
Penalty gave PSG life
The pattern was set for the second half. PSG dominated the ball without threatening, and Enrique was left scratching his head on the sideline.
But then came the breakthrough. Khvitsha Kvaratskhelia drove into the peloton and went to the ground with Cristhian Mosquera on the wrong side. The referee pointed to the penalty mark.
Dembélé slotted the penalty safely, and Kvaratskhelia then hit the post via a divert as the French chased the winning goal.
Drama without scoring in extra time
Arsenal forced extra time, and Noni Madueke thought he should have had a penalty after a collision with Nuno Mendes, but the protests were rejected.
An intense extra time had to be decided on penalties.
Penalty drama: Gabriel missed – PSG cheered
The excellent David Raya saved the penalty from Mendes, but Gabriel had to score Arsenal’s fifth penalty. The pressure was too great – the ball slammed over the crossbar.
PSG could celebrate their second straight Champions League trophy.
The double gap for Arsenal
A win for Arsenal would secure a prestigious double for the new Premier League champions. In addition, it would have secured a pure English triumph in Europe, as Aston Villa won the Europa League and Crystal Palace won the Conference League.
But the wait continues for Arsenal – 20 years after the final loss to Barcelona.
PSG makes history
PSG is only the second team to defend their Champions League title, after Real Madrid did so between 2016 and 2018. Luis Enrique now has three Champions League wins as a coach.
Last year, PSG crushed Inter Milan 5-0 in the final. This year’s final could hardly have been more different. Interestingly, all ten outfield players who started last year also started in tonight’s final in Budapest.
The question is whether this is the start of a new dynasty.
PSG joins the list of multiple winners
- 15 European Cups – Real Madrid
- 7 – AC Milan
- 6 – Liverpool, Bayern Munich
- 5 – Barcelona
- 4 – Ajax
- 3 – Manchester United, Inter Milan
- 2 – Benfica, Nottingham Forest, Juventus, Porto, Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain
- 1 – Celtic, Feyenoord, Aston Villa, Hamburger SV, Steaua Bucharest, PSV Eindhoven, Red Star Belgrade, Marseille, Borussia Dortmund, Manchester City
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