European Glory! Paris Saint-Germain Edge Arsenal On Penalties To Win 2026 Champions League

Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) were crowned UEFA Champions League champions after defeating Arsenal 4-3 in a penalty shootout following a thrilling 1-1 draw after extra time at the Puskás Arena in Budapest, Hungary, on Saturday.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

Arsenal got off to a dream start, taking the lead just six minutes into the contest. Kai Havertz finished off a pass from Leandro Trossard to put the Gunners ahead and leave the French side chasing the game for much of the opening half.

PSG responded strongly after the restart and eventually found an equaliser. Their breakthrough came in the 65th minute when Ousmane Dembélé converted a penalty awarded after a VAR review, bringing the score level at 1-1 and setting up a tense finish.

Both teams pushed for a winner during the remainder of normal time and throughout extra time, but neither side was able to find the decisive goal. Arsenal introduced Viktor Gyökeres, Gabriel Martinelli and Eberechi Eze from the bench, while PSG called on Bradley Barcola, Warren Zaïre-Emery and Gonçalo Ramos as the match headed into a penalty shootout.

In the shootout, Gonçalo Ramos successfully converted PSG’s opening kick before Gyökeres responded for Arsenal. Désiré Doué scored PSG’s second penalty, while Eberechi Eze failed to convert for the English side.

Although Nuno Mendes missed the opportunity to extend PSG’s advantage, Declan Rice capitalised to level the shootout at 2-2. Achraf Hakimi then restored PSG’s lead, with Gabriel Martinelli keeping Arsenal in contention by converting his attempt.

Lucas Beraldo calmly slotted home PSG’s fourth penalty, leaving Gabriel Magalhães needing to score to keep Arsenal alive. However, the defender failed to convert, handing PSG a 4-3 victory in the shootout and securing Europe’s most prestigious club trophy.

The triumph made PSG the first French club to successfully defend the UEFA Champions League title, following their dominant 5-0 victory over Inter Milan in the 2025 final. The achievement also marked another major milestone for manager Luis Enrique, who guided the Paris club to back-to-back European crowns.