In The Zone: How Paris won the final by the finest of margins
Sunday, May 31, 2026
Article summary
UEFA Technical Observer Edin Terzić analyses the decisive moments of Saturday's UEFA Champions League final as Paris Saint-Germain overcame Arsenal on spot kicks.
Article top media content
Article body
Prior to Saturday night's showpiece in Budapest, no team had conceded first and won a UEFA Champions League final since Real Madrid in 2014. There had been no penalty shootout in a final since 2016.
That all changed at the Puskás Aréna, where Paris Saint-Germain prevailed by the finest of margins against an Arsenal side who ended this Champions League campaign undefeated, save for the shootout that provided its very last act.
In the following analysis, brought to you by FedEx, the UEFA game insights unit, working with UEFA Technical Observer Edin Terzić, will explore how Mikel Arteta's men pushed Paris to the limit – and the response of Luis Enrique's triumphant team
Arsenal's 'perfect plan'
Twelve months ago, a 12th-minute opening goal was the springboard for Paris' 5-0 final triumph over Inter. This time, the boot was on the other foot as they fell behind after six minutes against opponents with the best defence in the competition. "That was the perfect plan for them, but for us it made things complicated, especially in the first half," admitted coach Luis Enrique.
The goalscorer was Kai Havertz, his emphatic finish (shown above) justifying his inclusion ahead of Viktor Gyökeres. The video shows how, with Arsenal attempting to lure Paris out, the German dropped to link play and then ran in behind, profiting from a ricochet when Marquinhos' attempted clearance hit Leandro Trossard.
"Because Arsenal were defending – and pressing – one v one, Arsenal used composed backward passes and short distributions to establish their positions and lure them out," said Terzić, who was coach of Borussia Dortmund in the 2024 final. "Havertz anticipated the ball perfectly, maintained his full momentum and his finish from a tight angle truly showcased his exceptional clinical finishing."
For Havertz, it was his second goal in a Champions League final after his 2021 match winner for Chelsea against Manchester City. For Arsenal, it would be their one attempt on target of this final.
'Movement and positional rotations'
"The match started in the best way for them," said Luis Enrique, admitting the challenge posed by the English champions, who "defend perfectly in a low block and are very strong physically and technically". Yet, as Terzić explained, Paris' attacking menace grew after the restart.
"They'd struggled to break Arsenal's deep block but, after the break, they increased their movement and positional rotations," Terzić said, and their reward came with Ousmane Dembélé's penalty equaliser on 65 minutes.
As seen in the second video, it followed one of Paris' trademark connections in wide areas when – following a corner – Dembélé and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia linked up with a one-two which led to the Georgian getting in behind defender Cristhian Mosquera.
Terzić explained what came next: "Kvaratskhelia used both his pace and his body brilliantly to cross in front of the defender and draw the foul. Then Dembélé's execution of the penalty was pure composure – clinical and confidently converted."
It was Dembélé's eighth goal of this campaign and Paris' record-equalling 45th. Dembélé was off the pitch by the time the concluding spot kicks came around – and so too Kvaratskhelia – yet, as the final video displays, the men who stepped up summoned up enough precision and composure to ensure that the title will be staying in Paris for another year.
More like this
