Sports
The ribbons on the European Cup still pull hard, red and blue. In a labor of 110 minutes, a clutch of tactical fire-drilled men, Paris Saint-Germain claimed UEFA Champions League crown, as 4-3 victors against a broken-hearted Arsenal squad in a razor-sharp, prize-winning shootout at the Puskas Arena. The win came after a battle hard-fought .
Arsenal sounded ready to snap their curse when Kai Havertz struck a strong early goal, but Luis Enrique’s squad could not be shaken, forced them back in push for their composure, as twelve yards out.
The death of the Galactico era
For years PSG ran a deck of cards with multiple superstars that did not turn into a unit under pressure. Saturday-night was the day it is officially over.
Luis Enrique stroked a twenty-one-year-old side with an average of 25.8. When Arsenal’s suffocating defence stamped the end of PSG’s lethal trio of Ousmane Dembélé, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Désiré Doué, they didn’t fret.
Instead of firing off the individual marks, PSG banged on a system press with positional discipline and clawed their way back into the game.
Luis Enrique’s Ruthless Selection Philosophy
It has all been absolute, uncompromising meritocracy, and that is what makes this title so special. The other day, a year ago, no less, Luis Enrique sacked the original number one Gianluigi Donnarumma and elected Anaerobic backup Matvey Safonov as starter.
This cutthroat focus on team harmony over celebrity big names finally paid off big-time. Even with an early deficit, the midfield trio Fabian Ruiz, João Neves and Vitinha controlled every minute of the second half and slowly cut off all oxygen to Arsenal's transition game.
The Threat of a Threepeat
Soon after the final penalty landed on the back of the net, PSG President Nasser Al-Khelaifi delivered a chilling statement to the broadcast media: “Of course we are going to go to the market.”
With marquee young players like 20-year-old midfield lynchpin Warren Zaïre-Emery destined for an even bigger role next season, this young squad that already has twice win back-to-back European titles is never getting weaker. By winning his third European Cup as a manager, Luis Enrique has joined an ultra-elite tier alongside Bob Paisley, Zinedine Zidane and Pep Guardiola. The scary part for the rest of Europe? The team’s fight isn’t over yet.
The Bottom Line
Arsenal were almost flawless on paper in the first 45 minutes, but tournament football is a sport for the elites. PSG showed that they were much more than a team of expensive shirts; they are a chassis of football, cold and calculated and designed to win trophies.
Members Discussion