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Paris Saint-Germain were crowned European champions for the second year running after beating English side Arsenal in the final, prevailing in a penalty shootout (1-1, 4-3 on penalties) on Saturday night in Budapest.
The defending champions pulled off the feat of winning a second consecutive Champions League title, a first for a French club, matching the achievement of Real Madrid, the last side to claim back-to-back crowns.
PSG fell behind early to a well-organised Gunners side, with Kai Havertz scoring in the 6th minute, and had to dig deep in the second half to force their way back into the game. Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembélé brought the teams level in the 65th minute, converting a penalty won by Khvicha Kvaratskhelia after he was brought down in the Arsenal box by Cristhian Mosquera.
Luis Enrique’s players once again showed their composure from the penalty spot, as they had in the UEFA Super Cup against Tottenham, the Intercontinental Cup against Flamengo and the Trophée des Champions against Marseille. This time, two Arsenal players, Eberechi Eze and Gabriel, failed to hit the target.
PSG became the ninth club to win two European Cups in a row, following Real Madrid, Benfica, Inter Milan, Ajax, Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Nottingham Forest and AC Milan.
Achraf Hakimi, who converted the decisive penalty, had already lifted the prestigious European trophy with Real Madrid in 2018. The Atlas Lions captain played his part on Saturday in Paris Saint-Germain’s second consecutive triumph.
