Saint-Germain retain their Champions League title at the expense of Arsenal

Paris Saint-Germain retained their Champions   League title with a penalty shootout win over Arsenal. Saint-Germain beat Arsenal 4-3 on penalties, which the two teams appealed, in the final match of the continental competition, at the  Puskas Arena in the Hungarian capital, Budapest.

The original time ended in a positive 1-1 draw, as Germany's Kai  Havertz took the initiative to score for Arsenal early in the sixth minute, but Frenchman Ousmane Dembele gave Saint-Germain the equalizer in the 65th minute from a penalty kick.

The two teams resorted to playing extra time for two halves, each lasting a quarter of an hour, without any new results, so that the penalty shootout had its last word, and the championship was awarded to Saint-Germain.

The defending champions took advantage of the misses of substitutes Iberici Eze and Brazil's Gabriel in the second and fifth penalties, while Spanish goalkeeper David Raya saved Portugal's Nuno Mendes' third kick.

Thus, he retained the title for the second time in a row, after winning it for the first time last season, at the expense of Italy's Inter Milan.

Saint-Germain thus set a French precedent by winning the title twice, repeating the achievement of the last team to win the Champions League twice in a row, while the club went further by winning three consecutive titles between 2016 and 2018.

Paris wins five this season

This is Saint-Germain's third victory in the history of its meetings with Arsenal in various continental competitions, against two wins for the English team, while the draw imposed itself on 3 matches.

This is the fifth tournament that Saint-Germain has won this season at the continental and domestic levels, after previously winning the European Super Cup last August, at the expense of Tottenham Hotspur.

The French capital team also won the Confederations Cup last December, after beating Flamengo of Brazil in the final, followed by the French Super Cup against its arch-rivals Olympique de Marseille in the final last January, and then also the French league crown earlier this month.

Arsenal, who are in the Champions League final for the second time in their history after the 2005/2006 season, were hoping to win the championship for the first time in their history, only to win the Premier League title this season, which they won this month, after a 22-year absence.