BUDAPEST (The Thursday Times) — Paris Saint-Germain are back-to-back UEFA Champions League champions after defeating Arsenal 4-3 on penalties at Puskas Arena in Budapest on Saturday, following a 1-1 draw after 120 minutes. Kai Havertz gave Arsenal a dream start, scoring in the sixth minute, but Ousmane Dembele equalised from the penalty spot in the 65th minute. Neither side could find a winner in extra time, and PSG held their nerve in the shootout to lift the trophy for the second consecutive year.
How the match unfolded
Arsenal struck early. Havertz, sharp in the sixth minute, gave the Gunners the lead and the dream of a first Champions League title was alive. PSG dominated possession throughout, finishing the match with 72 percent of the ball, but could not find a way through Arsenal’s resilient defensive structure until the 65th minute, when Khvicha Kvaratskhelia drew a penalty and Dembele stepped up to level the tie. Arsenal received four yellow cards during the match, including one for both Declan Rice and manager Mikel Arteta for dissent after a penalty appeal was turned down. Despite the pressure, Arsenal held on through 90 minutes and into extra time.
Extra time produced no further goals despite PSG creating the better chances. Arsenal made six substitutions across the match while PSG made five, with neither side able to find the decisive breakthrough. The tie went to penalties and PSG held firm, winning 4-3 in the shootout as Arsenal missed the decisive kick to end their Champions League dream.
🏆 BACK 2 BACK 🏆 pic.twitter.com/C5TGfncfrg
— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) May 30, 2026
The stats tell the story
PSG’s dominance in the statistics was overwhelming. They had 19 shots to Arsenal’s five, 11 corners to Arsenal’s three and 72 percent possession against Arsenal’s 28. Yet it took a penalty to equalise against an Arsenal side that had conceded just four goals in their entire Champions League campaign before tonight. David Raya made three saves to keep Arsenal in the final. PSG goalkeeper Matvey Safonov was not called upon for a single save during normal and extra time, such was PSG’s stranglehold on possession.
PSG’s place in history
PSG become only the second club in the Champions League era to successfully defend their title, after Real Madrid’s three consecutive wins between 2016 and 2018. They won last season’s final 5-0 against Inter Milan in Munich. This year’s triumph in Budapest, far more dramatic and hard-fought, cements their place among European football’s elite. For Arsenal, the wait for a first European Cup goes on. The Gunners were runners-up in 2006 and had gone through the entire 2025-26 Champions League campaign unbeaten until tonight’s penalty defeat.
