Losing a Champions League final is always difficult to accept, but at the same time, it didn’t feel catastrophic.
For starters, Arsenal struck first through Kai Havertz, who gave the Gunners the lead after only five minutes. We absolutely shocked the crowd and the pundits against arguably the best team in the world, who are now only the second side to retain the trophy after Real Madrid.
Arsenal Gave Everything Against A World Class Opponent
Secondly, Mikel Arteta’s Gunners defended for their lives and couldn’t have done a much better job, even with Cristhian Mosquera’s poor challenge, which led to us conceding the equaliser just after the hour mark. This came at a time when PSG were breathing down our necks heavily and looked bound to score at some point.
Even though neither team scored afterwards, going into the final stages of the second half and throughout both periods of extra time, it was clear that Arteta’s side had parked the bus early on. That hasn’t really been like Arsenal this season, especially considering we had just lifted our first Premier League title in 22 years and have generally looked so convincing.
PSG were simply on another level, and towards the end of extra time, the digital display board showed the French champions had 72% possession, which truly reflected just how much they dominated the game. Arsenal had scored nearly 30 goals from set pieces this season, yet we didn’t even manage to win a corner until late in the match and, apart from the very last one we earned, they failed to make an impact.
To some extent, our tactics made it challenging for us to fully commit forward without relying strictly on the counter attack. It was hardly entertaining football, even though we were all desperate to see Arsenal lift the Champions League trophy for the first time in our history. Meanwhile, PSG broke our defence down multiple times and were unfortunate not to put the game away in the second half after hitting the woodwork following a Myles Lewis-Skelly deflection.
(Photo by Lars Baron/Getty Images)
Penalties Exposed The Difference In Experience
The penalties really highlighted the difference between the two sides. PSG had already sealed three competitions from the spot, an experience this Arsenal team simply didn’t have, and we looked hesitant at the opposition end of the pitch with the Champions League on the line.
When Eze paused in his run up before missing the target, it was clear that Arsenal felt mentally exposed. The squad just isn’t used to this type of pressure yet, even though they gave it their absolute best.
Personally, I think David Raya saved us multiple times throughout the match, especially with his shootout save that extended sudden death. The Spaniard is already one of the greatest goalkeepers in Arsenal history, and the statistics back it up, especially with him impressively winning the Premier League Golden Glove award for the third year running.
At the end of the day, Arsenal gave their all and we should be proud of that. Hopefully, this is only the beginning of a much fuller silverware cabinet at the Emirates.
COYG!!!
Do you agree, Gooners? Despite the disappointment, are you proud of how Arsenal performed on the biggest stage in European football?
Liam Harding
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