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Paris Saint-Germain successfully retained their UEFA Champions League crown on Saturday, becoming only the second club in the modern Champions League era to win consecutive titles after defeating Arsenal in a dramatic penalty shootout in Budapest.
The French champions secured a 4-3 shootout victory after the match ended 1-1 following extra time. Arsenal's Gabriel Magalhães missed the decisive penalty, sending his effort over the crossbar and handing PSG the trophy.
Arsenal made a strong start and took the lead early in the match. A clearance attempt by PSG captain Marquinhos ricocheted off Leandro Trossard and fell to Kai Havertz, who raced through on goal from near the halfway line before firing into the roof of the net from a tight angle.
However, PSG found a way back in the second half. After resisting sustained pressure from the defending champions for nearly an hour, Arsenal conceded a penalty when Cristhian Mosquera fouled Khvicha Kvaratskhelia inside the box.
Following a lengthy VAR review, Ousmane Dembélé calmly converted the spot-kick, sending goalkeeper David Raya the wrong way to level the score.
With neither side able to find a winner in extra time, the final was decided by penalties, where PSG held their nerve to claim victory.
The triumph makes PSG only the second club to defend the Champions League title since the competition was rebranded in 1992, joining Real Madrid, who won three consecutive titles between 2016 and 2018.
It was also the first Champions League final to be settled by a penalty shootout since Real Madrid defeated Atlético Madrid in the 2016 final.
