Paris Saint-Germain maintained their European crown by winning the UEFA Champions League for the second successive year, beating Arsenal 4-3 in the penalty shootout. Regular time and extra time ended in a 1-1 draw, with the Parisians proving more composed from the whitewash.
Arsenal made the perfect start to the final and opened the scoring in just the 6th minute. After a counter-attack against the Paris defence, Kai Havertz got into position and beat Safonov with a powerful finish to make it 1-0. The Londoners managed their lead well for most of the first half, limiting the French side’s attacking efforts.
The equaliser came in the 65th minute when Hvitza Kvarachelia won a penalty inside the area. It was taken by Ousmane Dembele, who scored to level the game and give his team a new boost.
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For the remainder of regulation and in extra time, both teams had their moments, but were unable to find the goal that would have decided the title. Paris came closest in the second goal, with Kvaracchelia aiming for the crossbar and Raya making crucial saves.
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The game eventually went to penalties, where Paris Saint-Germain proved more effective. Raya’s save on Nuno Mendes’ shot proved decisive, but misses by Emperor Eze and Gabriel cost Arsenal dearly. Gabriel’s last-minute missed penalty finally gave the trophy to the Parisians, who celebrated another great European success.
In doing so, Paris Saint-Germain confirmed their dominance of European football, writing another golden page in their history with a second consecutive Champions League win.
- ΠΑPI: Safonov, Hakimi, Marquinhos (106′ Zabarni), Pacho, Mendes, Vitinha (106′ Beraldo), Neves, Ruith (85′ Jair – Emery), Duye, Kvaratskjelia (83′ Barcola), Dembele (90+6′ Gonzalo Ramos).
- ARSENAL: Raya, Mosquera (66′ Tiber), Saliba, Gabriel, Gabriel, Incaupier, Rice, Luis-Scelli (91′ Thubimendi), Saka (83′ Mantuecke), Trochar (83′ Martinelli), Edegaard (66′ Gioceres), Havertz (91′ Eze).
