It was heartbreak for Arsenal as Gabriel missed the crucial penalty as the Gunners lost 4-3 on penalties to PSG in the Champions League final in Budapest.

It was the perfect start for the Gunners at the Puskas Arena, as a PSG clearance ricocheted off Leandro Trossard, putting Kai Havertz through on goal. And much like he did for Chelsea in 2021, he was able to score past Matvey Safonov in the PSG net to put the Londoners ahead.

It was an ideal start for Mikel Arteta as his side were then able to sit back and soak up all the pressure from PSG, of which there wasn’t much. With Arsenal’s defensive discipline and physicality, the much smaller Parisiens resorted to trying to put crosses into the box, which were easily dealt with by Arsenal.

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Kai Havertz of Arsenal scores. Pic: David Ramos/Getty Images

As the second half began, it was more of the same for PSG as they really struggled to break down Arsenal. It looked like it was going to take an Arsenal mistake for last season’s champions to score, and that mistake came around the hour mark.

Right back Critstian Mosquera, who was starting in place of Dutchman Jurrien Timber, who was returning from injury, put in a clumsy challenge and took Khvicha Kvaratskhelia down from behind, and referee Daniel Siebert had no other choice but to point to the spot. Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembele dispatched the penalty past David Raya to level things up.

Bradley Barcola had a chance to win it with the last kick of the game as he went through on goal, but the youngster wasn’t able to hit the target with his effort as the game went into extra time in Budapest.

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Ousmane Dembele scores a penalty for PSG. Pic: Rene Nijhuis/MB Media/Getty Images

It was the first Champions League Final to go to extra time since Real Madrid faced their local rivals Atletico Madrid in the San Siro back in 2016. The main talking point in the first period was Arsenal feeling they had a stonewall penalty denied after Noni Madueke collided with Nuno Mendes, with the winger going down. Siebert and VAR waved it off, much to the chagrin of Arteta and Arsenal.

The players limped their way through cramp and fatigue in the second period as the match went all the way to penalties, the eleventh time Europe’s premier competition has gone to spot kicks.

Both sides missed penalties as Eberichi Eze and Nuno Mendes missed back-to-back, but with the 10th spot kick of the night, Gabriel stepped up and blazed his effort over the bar to hand PSG their second Champions League win in a row.

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Gabriel of Arsenal react after missing the crucial penalty. Pic: Image Photo Agency/Getty Images

They become just the ninth team to retain the Champions League/European Cup, joining Real Madrid, AC Milan, Inter Milan, Liverpool, Ajax, Bayern Munich, Benfica and Nottingham Forest. For Luis Enrique, it’s his third Champions League triumph, putting him level with Bob Paisley, Zinedine Zidane and Pep Guardiola and only behind Carlo Ancelotti.

For Arsenal, it’s yet another heartache as their wait for a Champions League title goes on. It will, of course, go down as an unforgetably successful season as their Premier League win ended a 22-year drought for a domestic league title.

It’s a game that won’t be remembered for what happened on the pitch too much, but the drama offered will certainly do so. PSG, with their youth and embarrassment of riches, looks as insurmountable as ever. With Arsenal just coming up short, who can beat them?