On a cruel night in Hungary, Arsenal saw Champions League glory pass them by as Paris Saint-Germain staggered their way to a second successive European triumph.
It took a penalty shoot-out to separate Europe's two best sides. And it was PSG who emerged victorious after Eberechi Eze and Gabriel missed from 12 yards.
Determined to follow up their Premier League title success by making history in Budapest, it took Arsenal — specifically Kai Havertz — just six minutes to fire an arrow straight into PSG hearts. A ricocheted clearance fell into the German's path and he plundered forward before lashing an unstoppable strike beyond Matvey Safonov at his near post from an acute angle.
PSG responded as expected, enjoying large spells of possession. But Arsenal's gameplan seemed to be pitch perfect as the team, marshalled by the superb Gabriel, repelled any sustained attacking sequences to take their precious lead in at half-time.
