Paris St-Germain underlined their status as one of European football’s greatest ever teams by becoming only the second club to retain the Champions League.
By Toby TAIWO
Their nervy 4-3 win on penalties over Arsenal following a 1-1 draw in Budapest backed up their 5-0 win over Inter Milan in Munich 12 months ago.
Arsenal seized the initiative early. Their opening goal came just six minutes into the first half. A deflected ball near the half-line found its way to Havertz, who exploited the left flank with a powerful left-footed shot that precisely curled into the upper corner of PSG’s net.
Arsenal seized the initiative early. Their opening goal came just six minutes into the first half. A deflected ball near the half-line found its way to Havertz, who exploited the left flank with a powerful left-footed shot that precisely curled into the upper corner of PSG’s net.
A turning point emerged in the frustrating flow of the match. In the 17th minute of the second half, Kvaratskhelia attempted a dribble inside the penalty box but was tripped by Mosquera’s tackle, and the referee immediately awarded a penalty kick without hesitation. Even after a video assistant referee (VAR) review, the decision stood. In the 20th minute, Dembélé, taking the kick, perfectly deceived Raya by directing a right-footed shot into the left net, leveling the score at 1-1.
PSG became the first side to successfully defend their title since Real Madrid’s three-peat from 2016 to 2018, and only the second to do it in the Champions League era, 1993 onwards.
Indeed, across the competition’s 71-year history, PSG are just the 10th club to win successive titles.
All 10 of the outfield players who started PSG’s win over Arsenal also started their victory over Inter Milan.
