Paris Saint-Germain cemented their place among European football’s elite after successfully defending their UEFA Champions League crown with a dramatic penalty shootout victory over Arsenal FC in the final.
Their coach, Luis Enrique also came up to status as the fifth manager to win three European titles.
The French champions edged Arsenal 4-3 on penalties after a tense 1-1 draw in Budapest, adding a second consecutive Champions League title to the trophy they won with a dominant 5-0 victory over Inter Milan in the previous season’s final.
The achievement makes PSG only the second club in the Champions League era to retain the trophy, following Real Madrid, who won three consecutive titles between 2016 and 2018.
Across the competition’s 71-year history, PSG have now become just the 10th club to win successive European crowns.
Speaking after the historic triumph, manager Luis Enrique expressed pride in his team’s achievement.
“I’m mixed. Excitement, fatigue, everything. But this is the best moment of the season. We are still champions, two in a row, it’s amazing,” he said.
Remarkably, all 10 outfield players who started the final against Arsenal were also in the starting lineup for PSG’s victory over Inter Milan a year earlier. The only change was in goal, where Matvey Safonov replaced Gianluigi Donnarumma, who departed for Manchester City last summer.
Under Luis Enrique, PSG have enjoyed an era of unprecedented success. Since the start of last season, the club has won eight of the 10 trophies available to them, missing out only on the Club World Cup and this season’s French Cup.
