Paris Saint-Germain became the first French team to successfully defend their UEFA Champions League (UCL) title by beating Arsenal on penalties, ending the Gunners’ unbeaten run in this competition and dashing their dreams of a first-ever top-tier European trophy.
The first UCL final to be contested between a French and an English side saw the first blow dealt from north of the Channel, as the red and white end of the Puskás Aréna was sent into pandemonium with just six minutes played. Marquinhos’ clearance cannoned off Leandro Trossard and fortuitously sent Kai Havertz racing down the left side, before the German cleverly lifted his finish into the roof of the net from a tight angle – his second match opener in UCL finals.
Trusting in a defence that had kept a joint-record nine UCL clean sheets up to this point, Arsenal looked to stand firm and make it a 12th consecutive final in which the first scorers prevailed. They largely stifled PSG – the tournament’s top marksmen – leading up to the break, with only a pair of off-target Fabián Ruiz attempts and some faint penalty shouts for a potential Bukayo Saka handball to show for their first-half efforts.
