UCL Final / Budapest, May 31 2026
Arsenal led from the 6th minute and still lost. How PSG survived, levelled, and won on penalties in Budapest.
Image Credit: Leonardo AI
Kai Havertz scored inside 6 minutes. Arsenal led for more than 80 minutes of the 90. And they still did not win the Champions League.
PSG took the trophy at Puskas Arena after a penalty shootout that ended 4-3. It took Gabriel Magalhaes's missing Arsenal's final spot-kick to confirm it.
How Arsenal took control
The match was barely out of the opening exchanges when Leandro Trossard played Havertz through on the left. He finished cleanly. Arsenal 1-0, 6 minutes in.
From that point, Arsenal sat deep, defended well, and allowed PSG almost nothing. Bukayo Saka and Trossard worked hard on both sides. Cristhian Mosquera was physical at the back. The lead looked safe.
Then came the 63rd minute.
The penalty that changed everything
VAR reviewed an incident in the Arsenal area and awarded PSG a penalty. Ousmane Dembele stepped up and scored. 1-1, with the match still 27 minutes from full time.
Arsenal pressed to get the goal back. Mikel Arteta brought on Viktor Gyokeres for Martin Odegaard at 66 minutes, a bold call. Then Noni Madueke and Gabriel Martinelli replaced Saka and Trossard at 83. The changes shifted the shape but not the result. The 90 minutes ended at a level.
Arsenal led from the 6th minute and left Budapest with nothing.
Extra time: cards, substitutions, no goals
Both teams were careful in extra time. Rice picked up a yellow in the 103rd minute. Gyokeres was booked 5 minutes earlier. Arteta himself was carded on the touchline.
Arteta made his final change at 91 minutes, bringing on Eberechi Eze. Luis Enrique made 5 substitutions across the match, with Goncalo Ramos and Warren Zaire-Emery coming on late. Neither side managed a clean chance to win it.
120 minutes. Still 1-1.
The shootout
| Player | Club | Result | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| G. Ramos | PSG | Scored | 1-0 |
| V. Gyokeres | Arsenal | Scored | 1-1 |
| D. Doue | PSG | Scored | 2-1 |
| E. Eze | Arsenal | Missed | 2-1 |
| N. Mendes | PSG | Missed | 2-1 |
| D. Rice | Arsenal | Scored | 2-2 |
| A. Hakimi | PSG | Scored | 3-2 |
| G. Martinelli | Arsenal | Scored | 3-3 |
| L. Beraldo | PSG | Scored | 4-3 |
| G. Magalhaes | Arsenal | Missed - PSG win | 4-3 |
Eze missed first for Arsenal. Mendes missed for PSG, keeping them in it. Rice scored to level at 2-2. Hakimi scored to put PSG ahead again. Martinelli levelled once more.
Then Beraldo scored PSG's 5th. Magalhaes needed to score to keep Arsenal alive. He did not. PSG are European champions.
What it means
PSG has its Second Champions League title under Luis Enrique. The project that started with heavy investment, squad rebuilds, and multiple near-misses finally has its result.
For Arsenal, this will hurt for a long time. They led the final for most of the match and left Budapest with nothing. The Havertz goal, the VAR penalty, the shootout. Three moments that will define how this night is remembered at the club.