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 Gabriel Magalhaes blazed the key 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. Kai Havertz had 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 Hungarian capital.
That forced an extra half an hour of play but neither side could find a winner, forcing a shootout, and Gabriel’s miss – as the Brazilian centre-back fired over the crossbar – decided the final.
Goalscorer Havertz was left red-faced after 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.