31/05/2026
Arsenal suffered a 4-3 penalty shootout loss to the defending champions PSG last night at the Puskas Arena in Budapest in the Champions League final. We thought it would be a bonus if we could lift another trophy to end an already successful season with, but after being so much invested emotionally in the game, the defeat felt heart-breaking. However, we are proud of our players who pushed the best team in the world all the way to the last moment of the CL final. Also, we finished the entire campaign without losing a game in normal (and extra) time. That is a feat not to be sniffed at.
All eyes were on team selection prior to the game. Havertz, a CL final winning goal scorer and our big-game player, got the nod ahead of Gyokeres. Mosquera and Hincapie were preferred to fit-again Timber and Calafiori, while Odegaard and MLS started ahead of Eze and Zubimendi. Overall, it looked a defensive minded setup, but after all, our strength lies in defensive solidity. There is no shame in that. If we had gone for all attack, the result could have been humiliating against the best-attacking side in the world like the last season's CL final, in which Inter Milan was slaughtered 5-0 by them.
Arteta's faith was handsomely rewarded as Havertz put us in front just in 6 minutes. We were in dreamland. There was an element of luck in the goal as Marquinhos' clearance hit Trossard before landing into the path of Havertz, but the German's finish from a tight angle was superb after his lung-busting run.
The highly rated attacking force of PSG failed to score in open play
We defended valiantly for much of 120 minutes. Mosquera did well to keep Kvaratskhelia in check until he gave away a penalty in 65th minute. Dembele made no mistake from the spot. Having already been shown a yellow card previously for time wasting (acceptedly, we tend to take too much time on throw-ins and corners, but this yellow card was a bit harsh, especially, when the same referee let off Fabian Ruiz for throwing the ball away in opening minutes), Mosquera was replaced by Timber seconds after PSG's equaliser. At the same time, Gyokeres was sent on for Odegaard. PSG had the lion's share of possession, but they looked devoid of ideas at times, resorting to speculative shots from distance. In 83rd minute, Martinelli and Madueke came on for Trossard and Saka. At the end of normal time, Zubimendi and Eze replaced MLS and Havertz. MLS played well despite his tender age and inexperience in big games. With both Kvaratskhelia and Dembele having left the pitch by the end of normal time, extra time looked promising for us.
In the 1st half of extra time, Madueke was brought down by Mendes. It was a clumsy challenge, but the ref waved on. VAR was not even interested. Rice appealed for a penalty to the ref, who showed the England international a yellow card. Rice was entitled to speak to the referee as captain at that moment. Arteta was also shown yellow.
The game was decided on penalties. It was a cruel ending to our near perfect CL campaign as arguably our best player, Big Gabi missed the decisive penalty. Arteta revealed in the post-match presser that the Brazilian wanted to take a fifth penalty. The manager also defended Eze, who missed our penalty No.2. After sending the keeper wrong way, Eze only needed to place the ball anywhere in goal, but he chose to try to bury it into the left-side bottom corner. According to Arteta, they prepared for possible penalties and Eze was on target every time in practice.
The appointment of Siebert as the match official was widely regarded as a good omen for us, but some of his decisions were questionable. There was little difference to Mosquera's foul that led to the penalty in the 2nd half and the one not given for Madueke in extra time. At least VAR should have looked at it. At the end of 1st half, as Saka was ready to take a corner, Siebert blew the whistle for half time. It was an unusual decision. On the other hand, we may have got lucky with Saka's suspected handball, when Saka had chested the ball as he cleared it, it seemed to have hit his arm. Similar incidents in the 1st leg of both semi-finals resulted in penalties, which caused a huge controversy.
The heartache shouldn't spoil the celebration of the season. We are still the PL champions. The upside of the CL final defeat is that we can avoid pre-season fixture congestion. The Super Cup is scheduled on Wednesday, 12 August, to be played between the CL champions and the Europa League champions, Aston Villa. This would have made our preseason preparations more complicated as we have a friendly against Real Betis scheduled on Wednesday, 5 August, in Dublin, and the Community Shield against Man City on Sunday, 16 August, at the Wembley before the 2026-27 Premier League kicks off on Saturday, 22 August. Some of our players could be engaged in the World Cup until the final on 19 July.
Don't let the disappointment spoil your day of celebration. Let's enjoy the open-top bus parade this afternoon wherever you are
