express.co.uk

Arsenal suffer Champions League heartbreak as PSG win leaves Kai Havertz red-faced

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 before Gabriel Magalhaes blazed over the bar to secure a 4-3 shootout victory for the French giants.

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 Premier League champions 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 decided the final.

Goalscorer Havertz 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.

Read full news in source page