As Paris Saint-Germain tightened the screws on Arsenal in two hours, the drums in the crowd behind the goal matched their sustained intensity. It was enough for PSG to beat Arsenal 4-3 on penalties after the Champions League final in Budapest ended in a 1-1 draw after extra time on Saturday.
The players, the crowd and the coach – PSG is a united club.
“Today, we can say we are the best in Europe. We enjoy playing with this group. We are all humble, and it makes you want to give more. But we just want to celebrate with the people of Paris,” said PSG’s Portuguese midfielder Vitinha, who was named man of the match.
Arsenal’s own group would draw the Qatar-owned Parisians in penalties, but the English side will step up their quest for a first Champions League title next season. However, PSG became the second club after Real Madrid to retain the Champions League since it was rebranded in 1992.
With everything Luis Enrique’s team has, the excellent attacking talent, the smart, physical defenders and the agile, creative midfielders, it is perhaps the Spanish coach’s greatest achievement that this is truly a team.
“If the stars are at the service of the team, there is preparation and we can play football. That is our essence,” Enrique summed it up at the start of the campaign. And while world player of the year Ousmane Dembele scored a 65th-minute equalizer from the penalty spot after Kai Havertz’s opener, he and the other stars play for PSG, not themselves.
Moroccan fullback Achraf Hakimi said of Enrique, “We follow him; we trust him.” “From day one, he has shown us that the team is more important than any individual player. We are not just a team – we are a family.”
Enrique’s insistence on collectivity pays off
This was not always the case for the French champions, who are owned by the Qatari state. Their famous former forward line of Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe impressed at moments but often abandoned their defensive duties.
Unlike PSG’s 5-0 thrashing of Inter in last season’s final, Saturday’s match in Budapest was a tense encounter of contrasting styles. PSG dominated the ball. They completed 837 passes compared to Arsenal’s 199.
“It’s really difficult to play against him,” Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta said. “That’s why they’re champions two times in a row. And their individual quality, the way they coach. They’re a top, top team.”
But Arsenal were happy not to give them the space to make that possession count and looked for chances on the break or from set pieces.
Havertz finding form but disappointed
Already in the sixth minute they went ahead. Havertz, the only German player in the final, raced to a block ahead of teammate Leandro Trossard. He had half a field to run on and a goalkeeper to beat. But the angle was tight. The ball remained stuck under his feet for some time. He is not the fastest. But Havertz decided not to take the safe option and resort to support. Instead, he delivered a powerful blow to the stationary Matvey Safonov.
Once he escaped the crowd of players who were closing in on him, he eavesdropped on the chants coming from London at the other end of Budapest’s Puskás Arena. The truth is that he didn’t need any help, such was the commotion.
Havertz has needed that support of late, though. As of the start of 2026, the 26-year-old has yet to play a game this season, following a series of recent serious injuries that have hampered his progress. He faced criticism for not always being clinical, but he did so with the opportunity he got on Saturday. Although Arsenal could not hold on to that early lead, the forward will once again set off on World Cup duty with his personal confidence high.
“Since January, everyone told me how much there is to play for. That’s where my momentum changed and I’m happy to be here again,” he said. Guardian Before Saturday’s match. “I try to help the team every day. That’s what I tried to do even when I was injured, just to help them on the field. That’s always important.”
Gabriel is the fall guy as Arsenal’s pursuit continues
That team ethic is as important to Arteta as it is to his compatriot Enrique. This is one of the reasons why Havertz was chosen to start with the big-money signing of Victor Gyökeres. Havertz repaid them with the link-up play, physical presence and pressure-packed performances that Arteta and Arsenal fans demand.
However it was not enough and his evening, like many others in red, ended in tears. Arsenal’s efforts on the ball were becoming visible towards the end of normal time. Bradley Barkola and Khvicha Kvaratskheliya both fired wide from the same position where Havertz had found the net.
But the Londoners insisted on allowing extra time, posing a slight threat. And then the fine. But they were unable to progress after defender Gabriel fired a decisive kick at those PSG fans.
Gabriel was key to the flexibility that thwarted PSG in open play. His painful collapse on the turf could be a defining image of the 2026 final. But for Enrique, this game, and indeed any game, is won by a team of individuals. Once again, he has the best in Europe.
Edited by: Shawn Sinico