Paris Saint-Germain defeated Arsenal on penalties to win the Champions League final, with Eberechi Eze and Gabriel missing from the spot for the Premier League side. The match, which finished level after extra time, saw PSG retain the trophy they won last season.
Arsenal had taken the lead through a lucky action, but PSG responded and the game became a tense affair. Arsenal's defence was praised as being 'about as good as it gets', but they could not find a winner. A penalty appeal in extra time was waved away, a decision the Arsenal camp felt could have gone their way.
Speaking after the match, the Arsenal manager said: 'It's very tough to accept when you are so consistent throughout the competition and you lose the final on penalty kicks.' He added that he was proud of his players and that they had given everything over a gruelling 63-game season.
Luis Enrique, the PSG manager, said it was 'amazing' to retain the title. 'Maybe today both teams deserved to win, but the way we played the whole season, I think we deserve it,' he said. The victory gives Enrique his third Champions League/European Cup title as a coach, second only to Carlo Ancelotti.
For Arsenal, the defeat was a bitter pill to swallow. One player described it as 'gutting' and 'devastating', but insisted the club would be back. The team's journey was celebrated, with the manager noting that without the two penalty misses, they would not have won the Premier League earlier this season.
The result means PSG continue their dominance, while Arsenal must regroup after coming close to a historic European triumph.
