Paris St-Germain have retained the Champions League, defeating Arsenal in a penalty shootout. The 4-3 victory followed a 1-1 draw in the final.
The win in Budapest marks their second consecutive title, after their 5-0 victory over Inter Milan 12 months ago in Munich.
PSG Join Elite Champions League Company
PSG are the first side to successfully defend their title since Real Madrid’s three-peat from 2016 to 2018. They are only the second team to do it in the Champions League era, which began in 1993. Across the competition’s 71-year history, PSG are just the 10th club to win successive titles.
Luis Enrique said he felt a mix of “excitement, fatigue – everything” after the game. He added that this was the best moment of the season, and that “We are still champs, two in a row, it’s amazing.”
All 10 of the outfield players who started PSG’s win over Arsenal also started their victory over Inter Milan. Only goalkeeper Matvey Safonov was new, replacing Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Dominance in Europe
Since the start of last season, Luis Enrique’s team have dominated almost all competitions they have competed in. They have won eight of the 10 trophies available to them. The only trophies they missed out on were last summer’s Club World Cup and this campaign’s French Cup.
If they continue their dominance next season, PSG could become just the fifth side to win three successive Champions League/European Cup titles.
However, they still have a way to go to break Real Madrid’s record of five European Cups in a row between 1956 and 1960.
Reaching Another Dimension
Julien Laurens said that PSG have made history. He believes that PSG will enjoy this win more than last season as they had to dig deep and fight. Laurens added that last season was almost a bit too easy against Inter.
Laurens also said PSG’s second Champions League crown “puts them in another dimension”.
- PSG scored the most goals (45) in this season’s competition.
- They recorded the highest average possession (60.5%).
Laurens added that PSG are now in the conversation with those great teams. He noted that Pep Guardiola never won back-to-back Champions League titles with Lionel Messi and Barcelona, or with Manchester City either.
Paris St-Germain were playing in their third final. Their first was in 2019-20 when they lost 1-0 to Bayern Munich in Portugal.
By winning a second Champions League title, PSG also became the best-performing French club in the competition, going clear of rivals Marseille who have one title.
The Paris St-Germain fans unveiled a tifo suggesting they weren’t going to give up their title before the match.