Paris Saint-Germain secured their second consecutive Champions League title with a penalty shootout victory over Arsenal in the final, played at 5pm BST. Eberechi Eze and Gabriel missed from the spot for Arsenal, handing PSG the win after a gruelling 120 minutes that ended goalless.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta expressed pride in his team despite the defeat. 'It’s very tough to accept when you are so consistent throughout the competition and you lose the final on penalty kicks,' he said. 'I told the players that I’m so proud of them. The season we have had under the circumstances – we know what we’ve been through internally.'
PSG manager Luis Enrique, who now has three Champions League titles as a coach, praised his side's resilience. 'Maybe today both teams deserved to win, but the way we played the whole season, I think we deserve it,' he said. 'We’ll try to do it again next year. Why not?'
The match saw Arsenal adopt a defensive approach, limiting PSG to few clear chances. Arteta defended the strategy, noting that playing openly against PSG could have led to a heavy defeat. 'Against PSG you need to be mentally on it for the whole game,' he said. 'We gave them hardly any chances, but fair play to them, they’re a great team.'
Arsenal captain Martin Ødegaard acknowledged the pain of the loss but looked to the future. 'It’s gutting. It’s devastating to lose the Champions League final on penalties,' he said. 'We win together and we lose together. I’m so proud of this group. What a season – it’s been an incredible journey. We’ll be back.'
The victory marks PSG's second consecutive Champions League triumph, while Arsenal must wait at least another year to end their 22-year drought since reaching the final.
