Paris Saint-Germain won the Champions League title for the 2025-2026 season, after defeating Arsenal on penalties with a score of 4-3, after regular and extra time ended in a positive draw 1-1, in the final match that brought them together on Saturday evening at the Puskas Arena in the Hungarian capital, Budapest.
Arsenal entered the match strongly and succeeded in opening the scoring early in the fifth minute, after Marquinhos made a mistake in clearing the ball in the middle of the field. It bounced towards one of the players of the London team, before reaching Kai Havertz, who ran into the penalty area and shot a powerful ball that landed in the roof of the net, giving his team the advantage from the first minutes.
Paris Saint-Germain tried to return to the atmosphere of the match during the first half through several offensive attempts, but Arsenal’s distinctive defensive organization limited the danger of the French team, which struggled to penetrate the back lines of the Gunners.
In the 26th minute, Arsenal almost made it stronger. They took the lead after Bukayo Saka sent a dangerous cross, but goalkeeper Matvey Safonov intervened at the right time and removed the danger from his goal, before Havertz wasted a clear opportunity to add the second goal in stoppage time of the first half.
On the other hand, David Raya shined in the final moments of the first half after he brilliantly blocked a powerful shot from Fabian Ruiz, so the first half ended with Arsenal leading by one goal without a response.
And with the start of the second half, Paris Saint-Germain intensified its offensive pressure in search of a comeback, as Raya blocked an attempt from Achraf Hakimi via a direct free kick in the 55th minute.
The turning point came in the 70th minute when Khvicha Kvaratskhelia won a penalty kick following interference from Mosquera inside the penalty area, and Ousmane Dembélé successfully executed it and returned the match to the starting point with the goal of a draw.
The Parisian team almost snatched the lead goal a few minutes later, When Kvaratskhelia was alone with the goal in the 77th minute, his shot hit the post to the heartbreak of the Paris fans.
The last minutes of regular time witnessed exchanges of chances between the two teams, as Arsenal came close to scoring through a dangerous ball inside the area, while Paris responded with attempts through Barkula and Vitinha, but the score remained the same until the final whistle.
In extra time, the excitement continued between the two sides, as Geukeris missed a dangerous opportunity. For Arsenal after a decisive defensive intervention by William Batcho, while the English team players demanded a penalty kick for Madueke without a response from the referee.
Raia also continued his brilliance and saved his goal from more than one dangerous opportunity, while Paris failed to exploit its relative control during some periods, so extra time ended in a 1-1 draw.
The two teams then resorted to penalty kicks to decide the identity of the European champion, as the kicks smiled in favor of Paris Saint-Germain. Germain, who won it with a score of 4-3, to maintain his European title and add a new championship to his coffers, in a dramatic night that will remain stuck in the memories of the fans of the Parisian club.