Beraldo the Hero as PSG Conquer Arsenal to Retain Champions League Crown
BUDAPEST, May 30 – Paris Saint-Germain etched their names into footballing immortality on Saturday night, defeating Arsenal 4-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw to win a second consecutive UEFA Champions League title. The victory at the Puskás Aréna makes PSG the first club since Real Madrid (2016-2018) to retain Europe’s most coveted trophy.
The final act of a tense, absorbing contest fell to an unlikely hero. With the shootout locked at 3-3, Brazilian defender Lucas Beraldo coolly dispatched his spot-kick to pile the pressure onto Arsenal. Gunners defender Gabriel Magalhães, the fifth Arsenal taker, stepped up only to see his effort saved by the sprawling Gianluigi Donnarumma, sparking wild celebrations among the Parisian contingent.
The dramatic finale was a cruel end to an evening that had started perfectly for the English champions. Arsenal stunned the French giants in just the sixth minute, when Kai Havertz ghosted into the box to meet a Bukayo Saka cross. The German’s clinical finish made him only the third player in history to score in a Champions League final for two different clubs, having previously netted for Chelsea in 2021.
For much of the match, Mikel Arteta’s side looked capable of holding onto that slender lead. Their defensive discipline nullified the threat of Kylian Mbappé (who was playing his final match for PSG) until a moment of attacking brilliance turned the tide.
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, the livewire Georgian winger, was the architect. After collecting a pass on the left flank, he drove directly at Ben White, who clipped his heel inside the area. Spanish referee Jesús Gil Manzano pointed straight to the spot. Ousmane Dembélé, who had been quiet until that point, stepped up and sent David Raya the wrong way in the 65th minute to level the scores.
Both teams had chances to win it in regulation time. Arsenal substitute Leandro Trossard forced a sharp save from Donnarumma, while PSG’s Vitinha struck the post. Extra time brought only caution, with both sides seemingly resigned to the lottery of penalties.
The shootout saw early misses from PSG’s Gonçalo Ramos and Arsenal’s Declan Rice, but it was Donnarumma’s save on the final Arsenal kick—and Beraldo’s nerveless finish—that sealed the result.
‘Written in the stars’
“It feels like this was written in the stars,” said a jubilant PSG captain Marquinhos. “We knew what it took to win this trophy last year, but to repeat? That requires a different kind of mentality. Everyone wrote us off when we lost Neymar and Messi, but this team has a heart of a champion. Lucas Beraldo – a boy who has never taken a penalty in his professional career – asking to take the fifth one. That is courage.”
For Arsenal, the defeat extended a painful European drought. The north London side has now lost all three of its major European finals (UEFA Cup 2000, Champions League 2006, and now 2026).
Arteta, the Arsenal manager, cut a desolate figure on the touchline but refused to blame Gabriel for the decisive miss.
” I cannot be prouder of this group,” Arteta said. “We played a European giant toe-to-toe for 120 minutes. The margins are cruel at this level. The missed penalty does not define Gabriel; his incredible season defines him. We will learn from this. We will be back.”
The victory cements a new European dynasty for PSG, who have now won the competition twice in as many years under manager Luis Enrique. Attention will now turn to the future of Kylian Mbappé, who departs the club as a back-to-back champion, having failed to find the net in his final appearance.
Budapest erupts, but not for the English
As the final whistle blew on the shootout, the 65,000-strong crowd was a sea of red and blue. Fireworks lit up the Budapest sky while the PSG players formed a guard of honor for Donnarumma, the man of the match.
For Paris, it is confirmation of an empire built on resilience. For Arsenal, it is the agony of what might have been. The champagne corks will pop all night along the Champs-Élysées. In north London, only silence remains.
