Arsenal’s wait for a first Champions League crown goes on after a penalty shoot-out defeat to Paris Saint-Germain, leaving Mikel Arteta balancing pride in the season with clear disappointment. The Premier League champions drew 1-1 after extra time at Puskas Arena, yet lost 4-3 on spot-kicks, with Gabriel Magalhaes sending the decisive penalty high over the crossbar.
The final had started well for Arsenal, who were the only unbeaten side in this season’s competition and arrived with strong momentum after ending a 22-year search for the Premier League trophy. Kai Havertz struck early, but Ousmane Dembele’s second-half penalty forced extra time and eventually penalties, where Arsenal’s long pursuit of European glory again fell short.
PSG’s victory
meant the French side became only the second club to retain the Champions League title, underlining the scale of Arsenal’s challenge. Arteta’s team still hold an unwanted record: they now have 226 European Cup or Champions League matches without winning the trophy, the most of any club in the competition’s history.
The shoot-out also produced a rare statistical note for Arsenal. Eberechi Eze missed the target with another penalty, meaning Arsenal became the first team in a Champions League final shoot-out to fail to hit the goalframe with two separate spot-kicks. Those errors proved decisive after 120 tense minutes could not separate the sides.
Reflecting on the loss, Arteta admitted the outcome felt particularly painful after such a strong campaign in Europe. "It is very tough to accept when you are so consistent in the competition all the way to the final, and in the end, you lose the trophy on penalty kicks, so it is a difficult one," he told TNT Sports. "We haven't done it for 20 years [reached the Champions League final], so imagine the second time in our history that we have done it, and we need to recognise the season we had, but at the moment nobody is going to take the pain away from you. "
Arteta’s comments came at the end of a demanding schedule for the core of his squad. Arsenal’s starting XI in the final had accumulated 21,458 league minutes in the 2025-26 Premier League season. PSG’s starters in Ligue 1 combined for 15,377 minutes, which was 6,081 fewer across their domestic campaign.
| Team | Competition | Season league minutes by final XI |
|---|---|---|
| Arsenal | Premier League 2025-26 | 21,458 |
| Paris Saint-Germain | Ligue 1 2025-26 | 15,377 |
The defeat capped a season of near misses and one major domestic success for Arsenal. Arteta’s side finally ended a run of three straight second-place league finishes, securing the Premier League title for the first time since 2004. However, Arsenal also lost two finals this term, falling to Manchester City in the EFL Cup before this setback against PSG.
Despite the disappointment in Budapest, Arteta remained keen to underline the progress made under his leadership since the FA Cup win in 2020. "I am so proud of them, with this season we have had under the circumstances," he added. "Internally, we know what we have been through. It is just a privilege to manage this group of players and this team the way they carry this badge and how much they put into it. "
A season to be proud of. We pushed the boundaries over land and sea, and couldn't have done it without your support. Thank you, Gooners pic.twitter.com/PfTa0I62GJ
Arsenal (@Arsenal) May 30, 2026
Arteta also made sure to acknowledge the quality of the opponents who denied Arsenal a first European title. "They [PSG] are a superb team, and I congratulate them. [The] individual quality they have, the manner they are coached, they are a top, top team. You have to go through the emotions, and if you're in pain, then go through the pain. Think you could do something else, then learn from it. Reflect on that and show the ambition that we want to have again. "
Looking at the wider picture, Arteta stressed that Arsenal’s journey this season still carried major significance, even with the final setback. "We got a big one [Premier League] and missed out on the biggest one. " For Arsenal and their supporters, the campaign delivered a long-awaited league title, renewed European status and the clear sense that another chance at the Champions League may yet follow.
