In one of the most dramatic and breathtaking finals in the history of the Champions League, the Paris Saint-Germain team led by Luis Enrique managed to overcome Mike Arteta's Arsenal in a penalty shootout and lift the coveted championship trophy for the second year in a row. This tactical battle ended in a 1-1 draw after 120 minutes of effort, but the deadly penalty shootout ruled for the Parisians' historic double on the Green Continent.
Publish dateSunday 31 May 2026 - 10:12
Story Code : 356386
The thrilling final of the Champions League (2025-2026 season), which initially began with cautious steps from both teams, finally reached the final stop with a crazy scenario and Paris standing at the top of European football.
Arsenal started the game beyond the dream limit. In the sixth minute, Marquinhos's error in clearing the ball, which accidentally hit Leandro Trossard, put the ball in the path of Kai Havertz. The Gunners' German striker, making a quick escape from the left wing and from a very tight angle, smashed the roof of Matviy Safonov's goal with a spectacular volley to give Arsenal a 1-0 lead. After that goal, Mikel Arteta's men switched to a doctrine of solid defense and closing spaces and managed to completely contain Paris' expensive stars in the first half.
As the second half began, Luis Enrique redesigned his team's attacking tactics. PSG's heavy pressure finally paid off in the 65th minute, when Christian Mosquera's clumsy foul on Khoja Kuytsakhlia inside the penalty area gave the defending champions a penalty. Ousmane Dembele stood behind the ball and tricked David Raya to equalize.
After the equalizer, the Parisians dominated the field; Quartzechlia's shot hit the crossbar and Bradley Barcola missed two golden chances. The extra time, despite much controversy (the suspicious scene of Madouche being brought down by Nuno Mendes, who Arsenal believed had missed his penalty) and missed chances, produced no goals, and the deadly penalty shootout would decide the winner.
The penalty shootout was a tense affair:
Abrchi Azeh sent Arsenal's penalty wide, but David Raya immediately saved Nuno Mendes' shot to restore hope to London.
Further shots from Desiree Due, Giucreche, Goncalo Ramos, Declan Rice and Achraf Hakimi were converted.
Lucas Beraldo easily scored Paris' fifth penalty to make it 4-3 in PSG's favour.
Finally, Arsenal's Brazilian defender Gabriel Magalhaes stood behind his team's fifth and crucial penalty. Feeling the weight of the world on his shoulders, he fired the ball into the air without stopping to give PSG a 6-4 aggregate victory (4-3 on penalties).
With the victory, Luis Enrique celebrated his third European final triumph and PSG became the first team in years to win the Champions League back-to-back, following in the footsteps of Cristiano Ronaldo's Real Madrid.
Arsenal started the game beyond the dream limit. In the sixth minute, Marquinhos's error in clearing the ball, which accidentally hit Leandro Trossard, put the ball in the path of Kai Havertz. The Gunners' German striker, making a quick escape from the left wing and from a very tight angle, smashed the roof of Matviy Safonov's goal with a spectacular volley to give Arsenal a 1-0 lead. After that goal, Mikel Arteta's men switched to a doctrine of solid defense and closing spaces and managed to completely contain Paris' expensive stars in the first half.
As the second half began, Luis Enrique redesigned his team's attacking tactics. PSG's heavy pressure finally paid off in the 65th minute, when Christian Mosquera's clumsy foul on Khoja Kuytsakhlia inside the penalty area gave the defending champions a penalty. Ousmane Dembele stood behind the ball and tricked David Raya to equalize.
After the equalizer, the Parisians dominated the field; Quartzechlia's shot hit the crossbar and Bradley Barcola missed two golden chances. The extra time, despite much controversy (the suspicious scene of Madouche being brought down by Nuno Mendes, who Arsenal believed had missed his penalty) and missed chances, produced no goals, and the deadly penalty shootout would decide the winner.
The penalty shootout was a tense affair:
Abrchi Azeh sent Arsenal's penalty wide, but David Raya immediately saved Nuno Mendes' shot to restore hope to London.
Further shots from Desiree Due, Giucreche, Goncalo Ramos, Declan Rice and Achraf Hakimi were converted.
Lucas Beraldo easily scored Paris' fifth penalty to make it 4-3 in PSG's favour.
Finally, Arsenal's Brazilian defender Gabriel Magalhaes stood behind his team's fifth and crucial penalty. Feeling the weight of the world on his shoulders, he fired the ball into the air without stopping to give PSG a 6-4 aggregate victory (4-3 on penalties).
With the victory, Luis Enrique celebrated his third European final triumph and PSG became the first team in years to win the Champions League back-to-back, following in the footsteps of Cristiano Ronaldo's Real Madrid.
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