PSG scores a penalty against Arsenal and wins their second consecutive Champions League title.

The biggest stars have come and gone, hundreds of millions have been spent, and countless coaches have come and gone. Until PSG decided to hire not just a coach, but an artist. Luis Enrique has painted a masterpiece using cutting-edge techniques. No one spares any effort. No one. And once at the top, the canvas belongs to the players. His first painting was pure surrealism, a dream. This one has been more minimalist, but the result has been the same. They won on penalties, yes, but the Champions League trophy stays in Paris. [Match report and statistics, 1-1]

Not even in Al Khelaifi ‘s wildest dreams , sitting in the stands next to Ceferin , could he have imagined finding a manager who not only delivered titles but also took the team to another level of football. He did so, moreover, after shedding the burden of Mbappé . Two Champions League titles later, in an imaginary debate, Luis Enrique was right all along.

And yet the Champions League final was turned on its head in the 5th minute. In the most absurd of plays, a clearance and a rebound fell to the sharpest player on the pitch. Kai Havertz pounced on the loose ball and charged towards Safonov after a 40-meter solo run. He blasted it into the top corner, putting the game in a position Arteta ‘s computer couldn’t have imagined . In that world of statistics, which tells you that Arsenal have only had one game come back from behind all season, PSG had to try and find their footing.

The French decided to monopolize possession, but their freedom of movement was thoroughly stifled by the tightly packed double line of five that Arteta deployed to defend his lead. We were talking about a solid defensive wall; we should also add trenches and constant support. Therefore, the final depended more on individual inspiration than on ball movement, even though Vitinha was the one who tried hardest to circulate the ball from side to side in an attempt to find a crack in that Gunners’ mortar .

The incredible thing is that the clearest chance of the first half fell once again to Arsenal’s German striker. After a beautiful one-two with Odegaard on the left wing, the forward again spotted Safonov in his sights, but when he shot, Marquinhos appeared like a flash to give PSG some breathing room and football fans hope. A two-goal lead against the best defense in Europe, who have conceded just six goals in 14 matches, would have caused a collapse in French hopes. And to make matters worse, it happened shortly before halftime, a double blow to their morale.

There was little to say about the French attack in the first 45 minutes, despite them being the tournament’s highest-scoring team with 44 goals. A run down the wing by Nuno Mendes that ended with a header wide from Fabián was perhaps their most dangerous moment. It would have been even more so had the Spaniard allowed Kvaratskhelia , who was better positioned, to get a shot off. The only other shot on target also came from Fabián, but it was long-range and from a tight angle, and despite Raya ‘s struggles to save it, it had little chance of leveling the score.

Luis Enrique needed to shift the focus of the final from a defensive battle to pure talent. The talent of his attacking players, who were consistently receiving the ball against a well-organized Arsenal defense, was key. Therefore, the focus shifted to faster ball movement and one-touch play. That moment arrived in the 64th minute, orchestrated by the two most talented forwards. A one-two between Kvaratskhelia and Dembélé ended with Mosquera bringing down the Georgian inside the area. A penalty was awarded, and the Asturian coach rightly appealed for a second yellow card, which Siebert waved away. Dembélé converted , effectively restarting the game with just half an hour remaining.

Now Arteta had to decide which game to play, because Luis Enrique was going to keep pushing towards Raya , as Kvaratskhelia demonstrated shortly after with a counter-attack that crashed against the post. And the Basque coach responded by bringing on Gyokeres to send a message to his players that you don’t win a Champions League final by just defending. The Londoners showed a little more intent, albeit not much, and went into extra time somewhat content, because Vitinha missed a golden opportunity a minute from the end of the match and Barcolá missed another in stoppage time.

Soporific extension

Arsenal used all their substitutions at the start of extra time. Risky, but effective for a team that had been pushing themselves to the limit until almost the end of the season when they secured the Premier League title. With those substitutions, they also shifted the initiative against a PSG side that looked somewhat tired and, at times, disjointed. Part of the blame lay with Madueke , who was electric and challenged Nuno in every race. He won one race that could have been a penalty, but Siebert chose to let it go. The first half of extra time offered little else except for a scare from Hincapié , when his team had no substitutions remaining.

It was surprising that in the second half, almost neither side attempted anything. Both teams blatantly headed for penalties, barring any errors from the opposition that never materialized. In the penalty shootout, Raya could have been the hero, giving the British side hope after Eze ‘s miss , but Gabriel blasted the fifth and final penalty high over the bar, dashing their hopes of making history. In the cruellest way possible. A penalty for the British, and glory for Luis Enrique and PSG.

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