Updated ,first published
Winning the Champions League was so incredible that Paris Saint-Germain had to do it twice.
PSG became back-to-back European champion by beating Arsenal 4-3 on penalties in a dramatic final in Budapest that ended 1-1 after extra time on Saturday.
“It’s incredible,” captain Marquinhos said. “From the very first day of this season, the coach said it’s hard to win, and winning twice is even more difficult. So we all had to get back to work. That was the mentality.”
Arsenal defender Gabriel Magalhaes fired the last of his team’s penalties over the bar to hand PSG the shootout win.
The French giant is only the second team to retain the trophy in the modern era after all-time king of Europe Real Madrid.
Luis Enrique became a three-time winner as a coach and has moulded a team that is simply too good even for the best the continent has to offer. That includes an Arsenal team that won the Premier League last week and topped the first stage of the Champions League with a perfect winning record, finishing 10 points and 10 places ahead of PSG.
That mattered little in Puskas Stadium as PSG reaffirmed its status as the dominant force in European soccer.
“It’s even more special because we knew before the match how difficult it would be,” Luis Enrique said. “I think it’s deserved over the course of the whole season, even if the final was very closely contested.”
After demolishing Inter Milan 5-0 in last year’s final, PSG endured a tougher foe as Arsenal sat deep and relied on the best defence in the competition.
PSG dominated possession but created little after going behind to a Kai Havertz goal in the sixth minute. It took an Ousmane Dembélé penalty in the 65th to level the score and take the final to extra time for the first time in 10 years.
By going back to back, Luis Enrique has achieved what his good friend Pep Guardiola could not after winning Champions Leagues at Barcelona and Manchester City. Luis Enrique also joined Carlo Ancelotti, Guardiola, Bob Paisley and Zinedine Zidane in an elite group of coaches with at least three European Cups.
The next target will be to emulate Madrid’s three-in-a-row under Zidane from 2016-18. And with a starting lineup in Budapest with an average age of under 24, Luis Enrique has built a team that has the potential to dominate for years.
But it was pushed all the way by a dogged and determined Arsenal.
PSG’s Eberechi Eze missed an earlier spot kick, but Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya saved from Nuno Mendes to keep the score level.
Lucas Beraldo converted the last of PSG’s spot kicks, meaning Gabriel had to convert to take it to sudden death. But he blasted high over the bar to spark celebrations by PSG players and fans.
AP
Premier League winner one season, gone the next: Liverpool part with Arne Slot
Liverpool have parted with manager Arne Slot just 12 months after he guided the Merseyside club to the Premier League title.
The English giants announced on Saturday night (AEST) that they’d parted with 47-year-old Dutchman Slot, who took on one of the biggest roles in world soccer in 2024 after Jurgen Klopp stepped aside saying he was “running out of energy”.
Slot led the Reds to the EPL title last season, but Liverpool finished a distant fifth to champions Arsenal in 2025-26.
“Liverpool FC can confirm Arne Slot is to depart his role as head coach with immediate effect and that the process to appoint a successor is under way,” the Reds announced on social media.
“He leaves with a Premier League title to his name and our deepest gratitude and appreciation.”
Slot’s second season at Liverpool transformed from a title defence into a desperate scramble for Champions League qualification while they failed to win a domestic cup, marking a dramatic downturn for the defending champions.
“That this was a difficult decision for us to make as a club goes without saying. The contribution Arne has made to Liverpool FC in the time that he has been with us has been significant, meaningful and – most importantly of all to supporters and ourselves – successful,” Liverpool said in a statement.
“From the moment that we first encountered Arne, it was immediately clear that he is an individual who does not merely accept responsibility, he embraces it.
“This was evident when he agreed to take over as head coach, when he guided us to the Premier League title, and throughout the season just ended when he faced considerable challenges and burdens.
“At the same time, we have collectively come to the conclusion that change is necessary in order for the club to keep moving forward. Again, it must be stressed that this is not a decision which has been reached lightly, anything but.”
After a record spend that netted them forwards Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike, midfield ace Florian Wirtz, and versatile defenders Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong, the Reds finished well off the pace in 2025-26 following an injury-riddled campaign. Favourite sons Mohamed Salah and Andy Robertson also departed at the end of the season.
Andoni Iraola, the 43-year-old Spaniard who stepped down from his role as Bournemouth manager at the end of the season after they qualified for the Europa League for the first time in club history, is one of the hot favourites for the Liverpool role.
The coaching landscape among some of the EPL’s powerhouses will look vastly different next season, with Enzo Maresca taking over at Manchester City from one of the most successful managers of all time, Pep Guardiola; ex-Liverpool star (and former favourite to take over from Slot) Xabi Alonso now on the sideline at Chelsea; and ex-Red Devil Michael Carrick about to embark on his first full season with Manchester United.
With Reuters
