Paris Saint-Germain retained the UEFA Champions League title after beating Arsenal 4-3 on penalties following a 1-1 draw after 120 minutes at the Puskas Arena in Budapest, Hungary.
Arsenal Strike First, PSG Respond
Arsenal made a fast start and took the lead in the sixth minute through Kai Havertz. The Premier League side looked confident early on and put pressure on the French champions.
However, PSG responded strongly and controlled large parts of the game. Consequently, the Ligue 1 champions found their equaliser in the second half when Ousmane Dembélé converted from the penalty spot.
PSG Dominate but Arsenal Hold Firm
Meanwhile, PSG continued to dominate possession and created several chances. However, Mikel Arteta’s men stayed organised and prevented Luis Enrique’s side from finding a winning goal in normal and extra time.
As a result, the final moved into a penalty shootout to decide the winner.
Penalty Drama Hands PSG Another Crown
In the shootout, Eberechi Eze missed the target for Arsenal before goalkeeper David Raya kept his side alive by saving Nuno Mendes’ effort.
However, Gabriel Magalhães then blasted his penalty over the crossbar. Consequently, PSG secured a 4-3 shootout victory and successfully defended their Champions League crown.
Furthermore, the win made PSG only the second club after Real Madrid to retain the Champions League title since the competition adopted its current format in 1992.
The triumph also handed coach Luis Enrique his third Champions League title as a manager.
Luis Enrique joined an elite club of coaches with three or more European Cups/Champions League titles by guiding PSG to their second success in the competition.
Only Carlo Ancelotti, who has won five with AC Milan and Real Madrid, now stands ahead of the former Barcelona coach in the Champions League Hall of Fame. Pep Guardiola (Barcelona 2, Man City 1), Zinedine Zidane (Real Madrid) and Bob Paisley (Liverpool) are the coaches who now sit level with Luis Enrique, who won the first of his Champions Leagues with Barça in 2015.
The challenge for the Spaniard now is whether he can move ahead of the pack by winning a fourth, and then catching Ancelotti with a fifth.
Guardiola is now out of the game after leaving City at the end of the season, while Zidane is expected to join Brazil coach Ancelotti in the international arena by taking the France job after the World Cup. Luis Enrique could have the field to himself with his outstanding PSG team in the years ahead.
External Links
- UEFA Champions League official website: https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/
- PSG official website: https://en.psg.fr/
- Arsenal official website: https://www.arsenal.com/
