15 remarkable stats from PSG’s Champions League final victory over Arsenal | OneFootball

Paris Saint-Germain are champions of Europe for a second successive year after breaking Arsenal’s hearts with a penalty shootout victory in the Champions League final.

Both teams went into the game as the recently crowned champions of their domestic leagues and there was little to separate them on the pitch.

Kai Havertz put Arsenal ahead early doors, smashing the ball in from the left-hand side. However, PSG responded via an Ousmane Dembele penalty in the second half.

The game went through extra time and all the way to penalties, where PSG won 4-3. A miss by Gabriel Magalhaes from the final penalty – after both teams had missed one each – proved fatal for Arsenal.

– PSG picked the same 10 outfield players in their starting lineup in this year’s and last year’s Champions League final. It’s only the second time that’s happened in competition history after Real Madrid in 2017 and 2018.

– With Dembele’s goal, PSG equalled the record for the most goals by a club in a single Champions League season. It was their 45th goal in the competition this season, matching the number Barcelona scored in the 1999-00 season.

– PSG had 75.3% possession, the highest by a side in the Champions League final since records began.

– It was the first Champions League final to go to extra time and penalties in 10 years.

– Arsenal are the first ever English club to lose a Champions League or European Cup final penalty shootout to a foreign side. The only other English club to lose a Champions League final penalty shootout was Chelsea against fellow Premier League side Manchester United in 2008.

– Luis Enrique is the first manager to win back-to-back Champions League finals since Zinedine Zidane with Real Madrid in 2016, 2017 and 2018.

– The PSG manager is now joint-second for most European Cup/Champions Leagues won, joining Bob Paisley, Zinedine Zidane and Pep Guardiola on three. Carlo Ancelotti remains out in front with five.

– PSG are the first team in the Champions League era to win the competition and their domestic league title in back-to-back seasons. Two clubs did it in the European Cup days (Real Madrid in 1956-57 and 1957-58 and Ajax in 1971-72 and 1972-73).

– PSG goalkeeper Matvey Safanov didn’t make a single save in the game (or in the penalty shootout).

– Arsenal were only behind for 42 minutes and 48 seconds of their whole Champions League campaign, the lowest of any side.

– Arsenal only created 0.01 xG from the end of the first half until the end of extra time.

– Kai Havertz is the ninth player to score in multiple Champions League finals and only the third – after Cristiano Ronaldo and Mario Mandzukic – to do so for two different clubs. He previously scored in the 2021 final for Chelsea. Ronaldo scored in finals for Manchester United and Real Madrid, and Mandzukic did for Juventus and Bayern Munich.

– Myles Lewis-Skelly became the second youngest Englishman to ever start a Champions League final, at the age of 19 years and 246 days. The youngest was Trent Alexander-Arnold for Liverpool in 2018, at 19 years and 231 days.

– Arsenal have concluded their busiest season in 46 years after playing 63 games. They played 70 back in the 1979-80 season.

– Arsenal remain the club with the most Champions League or European Cup matches played without winning the tournament. This was their 266th game in the competition; their wait to win it goes on.