05/30/26 02:46:00
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05/30 14:44 CDT PSG wins back-to-back Champions League titles after shootout
victory against Arsenal
PSG wins back-to-back Champions League titles after shootout victory against
Arsenal
By JAMES ROBSON
AP Soccer Writer
BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) --- Winning the Champions League was so incredible Paris
Saint-Germain had to do it twice.
PSG became back-to-back European champion by beating Arsenal 4-3 on penalties
in a dramatic final in Budapest that ended 1-1 after extra time on Saturday.
"It's incredible," captain Marquinhos said. "From the very first day of this
season, the coach said it's hard to win, and winning twice is even more
difficult. So we all had to get back to work. That was the mentality."
Arsenal defender Gabriel Magalhaes fired the last of his team's penalties over
the bar to hand PSG the shootout win.
The French giant is only the second team to retain the trophy in the modern era
after all-time king of Europe Real Madrid.
Luis Enrique became a three-time winner as a coach and has moulded a team that
is simply too good even for the best the continent has to offer. That includes
an Arsenal team that won the Premier League last week and topped the first
stage of the Champions League with a perfect winning record, finishing 10
points and 10 places ahead of PSG.
That mattered little in Puskas Stadium as PSG reaffirmed its status as the
dominant force in European soccer.
"It's even more special because we knew before the match how difficult it would
be," Luis Enrique said. "I think it's deserved over the course of the whole
season, even if the final was very closely contested."
After demolishing Inter Milan 5-0 in last year's final, PSG endured a tougher
foe as Arsenal sat deep and relied on the best defense in the competition.
PSG dominated possession but created little after going behind to a Kai Havertz
goal in the sixth minute. It took an Ousmane Dembl penalty in the 65th to
level the score and take the final to extra time for the first time in 10 years.
By going back to back, Luis Enrique has achieved what his good friend Pep
Guardiola could not after winning Champions Leagues at Barcelona and Manchester
City. Luis Enrique also joined Carlo Ancelotti, Guardiola, Bob Paisley and
Zinedine Zidane in an elite group of coaches with at least three European Cups.
The next target will be to emulate Madrid's three in a row under Zidane from
2016-18. And with a starting lineup in Budapest with an average age of under
24, Luis Enrique has built a team that has the potential to dominate for years.
But it was pushed all the way by a dogged and determined Arsenal.
PSG's Eberechi Eze missed an earlier spot kick but Arsenal goalkeeper David
Raya saved from Nuno Mendes to keep the score level.
Lucas Beraldo converted the last of PSG's spot kicks, meaning Gabriel had to
convert to take it to sudden death. But he blasted high over the bar to spark
celebrations by PSG players and fans.
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James Robson is at https://x.com/jamesalanrobson
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
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