At a Glance:
Luis Enrique on Arsenal after PSG win the Champions League final.
Enrique explains why PSG deserved to come back into the game.
Arsenal record 24.7% possession.
Luis Enrique made history by becoming only the second manager after Zinedine Zidane to win back-to-back Champions League titles as his PSG side beat Arsenal on penalties.
While Marquinhos consoled Gabriel Magalhaes after Arsenal’s defeat, the Parisians’ camp must be over the moon about taking home the coveted trophy.
Ahead of the contest, PSG fans were confident about beating Arsenal but the game was on a knife edge for most of the clash.
Luis Enrique had his say on the Gunners in his post-match interview.
Luis Enrique praises Arsenal’s defending after PSG defend Champions League crown
Speaking to CBS Sports, Enrique admitted that his PSG side found it tough to break Arsenal down, praising their defending.
“When you play against a team like Arsenal with Mikel Arteta, they try to defend in the best way. They were lucky because they started with the action and they scored the goal, it was difficult for us and after that, they defend very well, very deep.
Luis Enrique revealed that his plan was for PSG to attack Arsenal down the flanks, a strategy that eventually worked as Khvicha Kvaratskhelia won the penalty that led to Ousmane Dembele’s leveller.
"We suffered a lot, we played against strong teams in Europe and we deserved to win this trophy."
Luis Enrique talks about effort his PSG team put in to become UCL champions once again 👇 pic.twitter.com/btOveeog6i
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) May 30, 2026
“It’s difficult to overcome them. We tried to play more on the sides but it was very difficult because the players with energy in the moment that you are losing, they were not very attentive. But I think in the second half, we improved a little bit. We created more of less enough chances to score. After the penalty, it was more balanced.”
Arsenal were terrible on the ball against PSG
Luis Enrique makes a fair point as at the end of the day, PSG dominated proceedings even though they were far from their best against Arsenal.
The North Londoners, on the other hand only had 24.7% possession, the lowest a side has produced since the 2003/2004 season as per OptaJoe.
24.7% – Arsenal’s possession average (24.7%) was the lowest by a team in a UEFA Champions League final on record (since 2003-04), as well as their lowest in any match under Mikel Arteta where they had 11 men on the pitch throughout. Reactive. pic.twitter.com/OzIPhBzKKY
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) May 30, 2026
The figure was also the lowest by an Arsenal side with 11 men on the pitch during Mikel Arteta’s reign.
While Arteta’s side defended valiantly, they did not do enough in possession to win the final.
Srinivas Sadhanand
Srinivas Sadhanand is a writer for Read Arsenal and Read Man City, with over eight years of experience as a sports journalist. He has worked for established companies such as GRV Media, The Economic Times, Urban Pitch and Sportskeeda among several others. From interview athletes to writing detailed tactical pieces and covering the impact streetwear and music in football, he has many strings to his bow as a journalist. Being a lifelong Manchester City fan, he specialises in writing about them and the Premier League in particular. Away from the desk, he loves watching European football, cricket, films, listening to music and exploring new foods.
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