PSG beat Arsenal on penalties to retain Champions League title

Defending champions, Paris Saint-Germain beat Arsenal 4-3 on penalties to win their second consecutive Champions League title after a 1-1 draw in a tense final in Budapest on Saturday night, May 30. 

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Arsenal opened the score after six minutes when Kai Havertz broke away and got past PSG goalkeeper Matvey Safonov.

The defending champions dominated possession but struggled against the Arsenal defence, until Ousmane Dembélé levelled from the penalty spot in the 65th minute to take the final to extra time for the first time in 10 years.

Eberechi Eze first missed an earlier spot kick, but David Raya saved from Nuno Mendes to let Arsenal stay level.

Lucas Beraldo scored the last of PSG’s spot kicks, meaning Gabriel had to convert to take it with the hope PSG would lose theirs. But he blasted high over the bar to spark celebrations from PSG players and fans inside Puskas Arena.

“It’s incredible, back to back,” PSG captain Marquinhos said. “From the very first day of this season, the coach said it’s hard to win, and winning twice is even more difficult. So we all had to get back to work. That was the mentality.”

PSG joins Real Madrid, which won three successive titles between 2016 and 2018, as the only team to successfully defend the Champions League since the competition was rebranded in 1992.