Arsenal were left heartbroken as PSG won on penalties in the 2026 Champions League final. Eberechi Eze missed a shot for the Gunners, but moments later David Raya saved from Nuno Mendes to get them back on level terms, before Gabriel Magalhães fired a vital spot-kick over the bar. This gave the French giants a 4-3 penalty shootout victory.
Kai Havertz put Arsenal into the lead after just six minutes inside Budapest’s Puskas Arena. He collected the ball on the counter-attack, drove into the box and fired a shot from an angle past Matvey Safonov and into the roof of the net to give the Premier League champions an early 1-0 lead.
There was some controversy when the ball hit Leandro Trossard in the arm during the build-up to Havertz’s finish, but the goal went ahead regardless.
Arsenal kept PSG at bay for most of the first 60 minutes, despite a first-half handball scare from Bukayo Saka, but Cristian Mosquera fouled Juvica Kvaratschelia inside the penalty area. Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembele stepped up to the penalty spot, sparking a European Cup holder-level player in the Hungarian capital.
This necessitated 30 minutes of extra time, but neither team could decide on a winner and a shootout was forced, with the final being decided by Gabriel’s mistake as the Brazilian centre-back’s shot went over the crossbar.
Goalscorer Havertz was left red-faced after declaring before the match: “We’re going to go on the pitch and beat them.” Mikel Arteta similarly said at a party celebrating Arsenal’s league win earlier this week: “On Saturday we will be European champions!”
But Arsenal were ultimately undone, losing for the second time in a European Cup final, with Paris losing to Barcelona in 2006. Despite disappointment across the continent, Arsenal won their first league title since 2004 earlier this month.
