BUDAPEST.- The era of PSG In European football it acquired official status this Saturday. With their victory (1-1; 4-3 on penalties) against the Arsenal this saturday in Budapestthe team led by Luis Enrique He retained the title in the highest club competition and earned the title of “legend”.
If just a year ago, the Ousmane Dembele, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Marquinhos and company put their first “Orejona” in the showcases of the Parisian club after a football exhibition before the Inter Milan (5-0), the Puskas Arena of the Hungarian capital witnessed this Saturday a much more even, tough and arid clash for the French champion, which was not decided until the tenth and final penalty shot, when the Brazilian Gabriel He sent the ball over the goal.
Like Real Madrid
Until this Saturday, only real Madrid of Zinedine Zidane During the three-year period 2016-2017-2018 he had managed to get his name in at least two consecutive boxes of the honors list of the Champions League under its current name, since 1992-1993.
Joining that Olympus of coaches was the former Spanish star, Luis Enrique, who at 56 years old won his third Champions League, eleven years after his first with the FC Barcelonaand which already appears as an imperishable symbol of Paris at the height of Notre Dame or of the Eiffel Tower.
The proven resilience of the Spanish coach to overcome adversity was transferred to his players to not collapse when just six minutes after the opening whistle, the German striker Kai Havertz He overtook Arsenal.
An attempted clearance by the Parisian captain Marquinhos bounced off Leandro Trossardthe ball reached Havertz, who stood alone on the right side of the penalty area. Matvei Safonovwhich he beat by shooting with his left foot at the near post (6′).
On the wave of his recent title in the Premier Leaguethe Gunners Mikel Arteta They began using two of their most recognizable weapons in the Hungarian imperial city, taking maximum advantage of the rival’s mistakes and an impregnable defense to reach the break in advantage against a PSG dominating in possession, but not very incisive in putting the goalkeeper in trouble. David Raya.
It was the sixth goal in this Champions League for the German, who was one of Arteta’s bets in the starting eleven to the detriment of Gyökeresand that had already decided the 2021 final in favor of the Chelsea in front of Manchester City.
It was the ideal script for Londoners. Spider web in defense, stops in the game, like the blow to the head that left Safonov groggy for several minutes, and a Cristhian Mosquera -another novelty in the eleven- immeasurable to dry out Kvarasktelia, PSG’s goal man in this Champions League.
step forward
The comeback task seemed complicated for Luis Enrique’s team against a team that had only conceded six goals in its 14 previous games in this Champions League – in which it did not know defeat -, with 9 of them leaving a clean sheet.
But in the second act the Parisians took a step forward and the English began to leave more spaces behind for no apparent reason.
Any slight weakness against a team with as many offensive resources as PSG pays dearly. And so, Mosquera had to stop “Kvaradona” from a foul inside the area.
He Ballon d’Or Dembélé did not fail against Raya and the match began again in the 65th minute.
PSG kept trying, but the goal was prevented by the goal on the counterattack by Bradley Barcola and in a shot that missed high by just a little Vitinha.
Without Dembélé on the pitch due to physical discomfort that forced his substitution, the score did not move in extra time.
The mistakes from eleven meters brought back to earth an Arsenal that faced the clash in a cloud after winning its first English league in 22 years.
In the run-up to the match, the Parisian fans displayed a banner with the image of a faceless player tightly hugging the “Orejona” and the motto “An entire city protects it.” 120 minutes and ten penalties later, the trophy remained in the same hands… at least until 2027.
