Arsenal suffer Champions League heartbreak as PSG leave Havertz red-faced | Football | Sport

Arsenal were left heartbroken as PSG won the 2026 Champions League final on penalties. Eberechi Eze missed for the Gunners but David Raya saved from Nuno Mendes immediately after to restore parity. Yet after Lucas Beraldo’s penalty, Gabriel Magalhaes blazed the decisive spot-kick over the bar and that secured a 4-3 shootout victory for the French giants.

That means the newly-crowned Premier League champions lost in the most heartbreaking fashion. Defeat left the likes of Noni Madueke and Eze in tears on the pitch as the PSG players celebrated. Marquinhos showed his class as he immediately went over to Brazil team-mate Gabriel to console the defender. Kai Havertz had earlier powered 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 beyond Matvey Safonov into the roof of the net from an angle to put the kings of England 1-0 up early on.

There was controversy with the ball striking Leandro Trossard’s arm in the build-up to Havertz’s finish but the goal stood regardless.

Arsenal held PSG at arm’s length for much of the first 60 minutes, despite a first-half Bukayo Saka handball scare, until Cristhian Mosquera fouled Khvicha Kvaratskhelia inside the box. Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembele stepped up to the penalty spot to fire the European Cup holders level in the 64th minute.

That meant an extra half an hour of play in the Hungarian capital but neither side could find a winner, forcing a shootout, and Gabriel’s miss – with the Brazilian centre-back firing high over the crossbar – decided the final.

Goalscorer Havertz was left red-faced given he had declared pre-match: “We are going to go on the pitch and beat them.” Mikel Arteta, similarly, said at Arsenal’s party to celebrate winning the league earlier this week: “On Saturday, we are going to be the champions of Europe!”

But Arsenal were ultimately left gutted after losing their second ever European Cup final, adding to their Paris defeat to Barcelona back in 2006. Despite continental disappointment, they still won their first league title since 2004 earlier this month.

Victory for PSG means they are only the second team in the Champions League era to win the tournament back-to-back, alongside Real Madrid, who managed three in a row under Zinedine Zidane between 2016 and 2018.

Arsenal talisman Declan Rice said to TNT post-match: “It’s gutting. It’s devastating to lose the Champions League final on penalties. But an incredible season. We gave it absolutely everything. It’s a lottery and that’s football.

“Some of the best teams ever have lost on penalties in finals. We win together, we lose together and I’m so proud of this group and these boys. What a season. It’s been incredible. I’m obviously gutted but it’s been an incredible journey this season. We’ll be back.”