Paris Saint-Germain coach Luis Enrique described his team’s second consecutive UEFA Champions League title as “even bigger” than their first, after the French giants outlasted Arsenal in a gripping penalty shootout at the Puskas Arena in Budapest on Saturday.
PSG won 4-3 on spot-kicks after the match ended 1-1 following 90 minutes and extra time, with Eberechi Eze and Gabriel both missing for Arsenal while Nuno Mendes was the only PSG player to fail to convert.
Kai Havertz had fired Premier League champions Arsenal into a sixth-minute lead, but PSG levelled when Ousmane Dembele converted a 65th-minute penalty after a foul on Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. The Georgian winger later struck the post as Arsenal clung on through extra time before the shootout drama unfolded.
“It is even bigger because we knew of the difficulties of playing against Arsenal, and for us as a team and a city it is incredible to win it,” Luis Enrique told Canal Plus amid jubilant on-pitch celebrations.The victory makes PSG the first club since Real Madrid’s three-peat between 2016 and 2018 to successfully defend the Champions League trophy.
For Luis Enrique, it is a third European Cup triumph as manager — having previously guided Barcelona to the title in 2015 — placing him in elite company alongside Carlo Ancelotti, Bob Paisley, Zinedine Zidane, and Pep Guardiola as the only coaches to achieve the feat. Dembele, the reigning Ballon d’Or holder, capped a stellar personal campaign with his goal on the night, finishing the season with 20 goals in all competitions.
The French forward, who was forced off at the end of normal time with cramp, will now link up with the France squad for the World Cup in North America.”It is exceptional, it’s a great night. We have worked hard this season in order to do the back-to-back.
It is magnificent,” said Dembele.Captain Marquinhos, a PSG stalwart since 2013, paid tribute to the team’s relentless mentality. “The coach said right at the start of the season that it is hard to win it, but it is even harder to win it twice. That was the objective for us and that was the mentality we showed today.
“The win caps a remarkable five-trophy season for the Qatar-backed club, who also claimed the UEFA Super Cup, FIFA Intercontinental Cup, French Champions Trophy, and Ligue 1 title — all of the cup competitions won on penalties.
It was the first Champions League final in a decade to be decided from the spot, and the first since 2014 in which the team that conceded the opening goal went on to lift the trophy.
PSG, who demolished Inter Milan 5-0 in Munich to claim their maiden European crown last year, will begin the defence of their title by facing Europa League winners Aston Villa in the UEFA Super Cup in Salzburg on August 12.
