Key events
Mikel Arteta embraces Eberechi Eze, one of the two men who missed in the shootout, while Marquinhos does likewise to his fellow Brazilian Gabriel. What a lovely, human gesture at the worst moment of Gabriel’s career.
PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN RETAIN THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
Gabriel misses ! Paris Saint-Germain 4-3 Arsenal
Gabriel takes a deep breath, runs forward… and lifts his penalty over the bar! PSG are European champions once again!
Lucas Beraldo scores! Paris Saint-Germain 4-3 Arsenal
Beraldo sidefoots a good penalty into the right-hand corner. Raya dived early and the wrong way.
Gabriel Magalhaes has to score.
Martinelli scores! Paris Saint-Germain 3-3 Arsenal
Martinelli slams a fine penalty high to his left, with Safonov diving the wrong way. It’s effectively sudden death now.
Hakimi scores! Paris Saint-Germain 3-2 Arsenal
Good penalty, whipped to the left as Raya dived the other way.
Rice scores! Paris Saint-Germain 2-2 Arsenal
Declan Rice passes it low to his right, with Safonov again not moving until the ball was kicked. What’s he up to?
Raya saves from Nuno Mendes! Paris Saint-Germain 2-1 Arsenal
A brilliant save, diving to his left, and Arsenal are back in it! Not a great penalty – the height was good for the keeper – but Raya still had a lot of work to do.
Eze misses! Paris Saint-Germain 2-1 Arsenal
Eze stutters towards the ball… and clips it past the left-hand post! Safonov barely moved, but Eze didn’t know that was going to happen and he tried to be too precise.
Doue scores! Paris Saint-Germain 2-1 Arsenal
Very similar to Gyokeres’ – low to the right with the keeper going the other way.
Gyokeres scores! Paris Saint-Germain 1-1 Arsenal
Calmly done, low to his right. Safonov went the wrong way.
Goncalo Ramos scores! Paris Saint-Germain 1-0 Arsenal
He had to wait an age, as the referee talked both keepers through the rules and regulations. When he finally stepped up, he curled a fine penalty high to the right. Raya went the wrong way but had no chance regardless.
Achraf Hakimi has won both tosses – they will take the first penalty, and it’ll be in front of the PSG fans.
“So,” says Gary Naylor, “have Arsenal executed a smart plan, playing to their strengths and getting what they want or have they parked the bus? Or both?”
Both?
PSG have won three trophies on penalties this season – the Super Cup, the French Cup and the Intercon tinal Cup. In the last of those, Safonov saved four penalties. But David Raya is one of the best keepers in the world, so don’t ask me.
Full time: Paris Saint-Germain 1-1 Arsenal
For the first time since 2016, the Champions League final goes to penalties.
120+1 min Madueke’s corner isn’t great, but Barcola heads it up in the air and there’s a brief game of head tennis before PSG clear. And that’s it.
120 min Gyokeres’s shot from the edge of the D deflects behind for an Arsenal corner…
119 min Timber drills a shot into the side netting from a very tight angle. Safonov left a bit of a gap so he was right to go for goal.
117 min Joao Neves slips the tired Hincapie and stabs a cross into the middle. It’s headed away to Doue, who mishits a difficult volley into the ground from about 12 yards. It loops up and is claimed by David Raya.
Arsenal break and Nuno Mendes is booked for a foul on Madueke.
116 min Tick, tock, tick, tock. Nothing much is happening, just lots of PSG probing and admirable Arsenal defending. Their style is not to all tastes, but my goodness they know how to defend.
114 min PSG are dominating possession – they have all night – but I can’t remember the last shot on target at either end.
PSG’s recent record in penalty competitions is superb, since you asked: they’ve won all five in the last two seasons.
112 min Arsenal have won seven of their last 10 penalty competitions, if that counts for anything, but they’ve also lost the only two in European finals: Valencia in 1980 and Galatasaray in 2000.
109 min Rice’s free-kick is dealt with decisively by Safonov.
109 min Madueke, who has been really good since coming on, buys a foul from Doue. The big men are rumbling forward…
107 min A crossfield pass is headed powerfully back across goal by Barcola, and David Raya – once of Southport, never give up kids – throws himself bravely in front of Ramos to push the ball away.
106 min PSG begin the second period of extra-time. Who fancies a bit of immortality?
“Gyokeres is stinking the place out so much,” begins Niall Mullen, “that he is nailed on to score the winner.”
Double substitution for PSG Lucas Beraldo and Illia Zabarnyi replace Vitinha and Marquinhos. Many of the players have been struggling with cramp.
Half time in extra time: PSG 1-1 Arsenal
Nuno Mendes was the wrong side of Madueke and leaned into him. They also had their arms interlocked. On balance I think it’s a foul, but it wasn’t clear and obvious and I’m sure the on-field decision would have been upheld either way.
105 min Mikel Arteta has also been booked.
104 min The replays aren’t conclusive, so I can see why VAR didn’t intervene. It’s potentially a foul, and those challenges are often penalised, but I don’t think it was a clear and obvious error.
103 min Rice is booked for his complaints.
103 min We haven’t seen a replay, but at first look it was very similar to the challenge by Mosquera on Kvaratskhelia that led to the PSG penalty.
103 min: No penalty! Arsenal are fuming. Madueke slow-slow-quicked his way thrillingly past Nuno Mendes, who seemed to bundle him over just inside the area. It was clumsy at best, but VAR have cleared it.
102 min: Penalty appeal for Arsenal
VAR check incoming!
100 min Hakimi has a pop from 25 yards; over the bar.
The pace of the game has dropped, despite all those substitutions. PSG are making most of the running, as they have throughout the match.
98 min Gyokeres is booked for a necessary foul on Ramos, who was leading a PSG break after Gyokeres was dispossessed.
96 min If it goes to penalties, who takes them for Arsenal? Gyokeres, Eze, Madueke, Rice and maybe somebody from the bench like Merino?
95 min: PSG substitution Warren Zaire-Emery replaces Fabian Ruiz in midfield.
94 min Tom Hopkins adds to our praise of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia with a perfect comparison.
…with the slightly ungainly air, making his absolute elite level performance all the more endearing, of Jasprit Bumrah.
93 min Madueke’s second corner hits the side netting at the near post.
92 min Madueke drives a low cross towards Gyokeres that is crucially cut out by Pacho. The resulting corner, Arsenal’s first of the game I think, is headed behind for another by Ramos.
91 min And they’re off again. Arsenal have brought on Eberechi Eze and Martin Zubimendi for Kai Havertz and Myles Lewis-Skelly.
In praise of Kvaratskhelia
“…with the humility and team ethic of James Milner,” adds Tom Atkins.
Full time: Paris Saint-Germain 1-1 Arsenal
That was the last kick of normal time. A fascinating game of few chances – yes, I know that sounds contradictory – is going the distance.
90+7 min: Chance for PSG!
Barcola charges 70 yards down the inside-left channel, but his penultimate touch makes the angle too tight and he drills a left-foot shot into the side netting.
