Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) sukses mempertahankan takhta juara Liga Champions Eropa setelah menundukkan Arsenal lewat drama adu penalti 4-3 di Stadion Puskas Arena, Budapest, Hongaria, pada Sabtu (30/5/2026) malam waktu setempat.
Pertandingan final ini harus berlanjut hingga babak tambahan waktu dan adu penalti setelah kedua tim bermain imbang 1-1 selama 90 menit reguler. Arsenal unggul kilat melalui gol Kai Havertz pada menit keenam sebelum disamakan oleh penalti Ousmane Dembele pada babak kedua.
Kemenangan tersebut mengantarkan PSG menjadi tim kedua di era modern Liga Champions yang mampu mempertahankan gelar juara secara beruntun. Di sisi lain, kekalahan ini memperpanjang catatan Arsenal sebagai klub dengan penampilan terbanyak di kompetisi ini tanpa pernah mengangkat trofi.
Gelandang Arsenal, Declan Rice, memberikan pembelaan dan dukungan moral kepada rekan-rekan setimnya yang gagal mengeksekusi penalti dalam laga krusial di Hungaria tersebut.
"Devastated. Missing a penalty in a Champions League final isn't nice. But we love them. Look, that happens in football. They aren't going to be the last players to miss a penalty in finals. Everyone has missed a penalty. Without them two this season, we wouldn't have won the Premier League. It's cruel, but we take the positives," kata Declan Rice, Gelandang Arsenal.
Rice menambahkan bahwa skuad besutan Mikel Arteta telah berjuang habis-habisan sepanjang musim yang melelahkan ini, di mana mereka juga berhasil menyudahi puasa gelar liga domestik.
"It's devastating to lose a Champions League final on penalties," aku Declan Rice, Gelandang Arsenal.
Pemain tim nasional Inggris tersebut menegaskan komitmen tim untuk tetap bersatu dan terus berkembang di bawah arahan manajer mereka demi masa depan klub yang cerah.
"We tried to take a lot of perspective in how far we've come as a group. An incredible season. Our 63rd game in all competitions. We've given it absolutely everything. We took the game to penalties. It's a lottery. That's football, you can either win on pens or lose. Some of the best teams in the world have lost on pens. We're on the receiving end of that tonight. We win together and we lose together. I'm so proud of these boys. What a season. It's been incredible. I can't speak highly enough of everyone. I'm obviously gutted but I'm trying to look with a bit of perspective. We'll be back," jelas Declan Rice, Gelandang Arsenal.
Sementara itu, Manajer Arsenal, Mikel Arteta, menyatakan bahwa kekalahan di partai puncak lewat adu penalti merupakan sebuah hasil yang sangat berat untuk diterima oleh timnya.
"Yes, it is very tough to accept when you are so consistent in the competition all the way to the final and in the end you lose the trophy on penalty kicks, so it is a difficult one," tutur Mikel Arteta, Manajer Arsenal.
Arteta juga menyampaikan ucapan selamat kepada pihak lawan sembari meminta anak asuhnya untuk memproses kepedihan ini sebagai bahan evaluasi demi ambisi berikutnya.
"They are a superb team and I congratulate them. Individual quality they have, the manner they are coached - they are a top, top team. You have to go through the emotions and if you're in pain, then go through the pain," ujar Mikel Arteta, Manajer Arsenal.
Sang juru taktik turut menyoroti keputusan wasit Daniel Siebert yang tidak memberikan penalti kepada Arsenal saat Noni Madueke dilanggar di kotak terlarang.
"If you think you could do something else, then learn from it. Reflect on that and show the ambition that we want to have again," tambah Mikel Arteta, Manajer Arsenal.
Di tengah kekecewaan tersebut, Arteta mengaku sangat bangga terhadap performa dan dedikasi luar biasa yang ditunjukkan seluruh pasukannya sepanjang musim kompetisi.
"I watch it back and it could easily be a penalty. Especially we see the penalty they gave me this year in the competition. This season, the referee made a decision, and he made a different one with Cristhian Mosquera and that is an important one," pungkas Mikel Arteta, Manajer Arsenal.
Di kubu PSG, tensi internal sempat mencuat sebelum pertandingan akibat situasi politik negara asal antara bek Ilya Zabarnyi dan penjaga gawang Matvey Safonov.
"That I am so proud of them, with this season we have had under the circumstances. Internally, we know what we have been through," papar Mikel Arteta, Manajer Arsenal.
Zabarnyi mengonfirmasi bahwa komunikasinya dengan sang penjaga gawang asal Rusia memang sangat dibatasi dan hanya terjalin demi profesionalisme di atas lapangan hijau.
"It is just a privilege to manage this group of players and this team, the way they carry this badge and how much they put into it. We got a big one [Premier League] and missed out on the biggest one," ucap Mikel Arteta, Manajer Arsenal.
Saat dimintai tanggapan mengenai pernyataan rekan setimnya tersebut, Safonov memilih untuk tidak memberikan komentar lebih lanjut mengenai keretakan hubungan mereka.
"In my country, a full-scale war has been raging for four years," cetus Ilya Zabarnyi, Bek Tengah PSG.
Meski diwarnai ketegangan internal, skuad asuhan Luis Enrique tetap tampil solid untuk memastikan trofi juara bertahan tidak lepas dari genggaman mereka.
"I won't," balas Matvey Safonov, Penjaga Gawang PSG.
Sebelum pertandingan dimulai, tradisi penyerahan trofi ke dalam lapangan dilakukan oleh mantan pemain kedua klub, termasuk Presnel Kimpembe yang mewakili tim Paris.
"It’s a great honor to represent Paris Saint-Germain in this Champions League final," ungkap Presnel Kimpembe, Mantan Pemain PSG.
Penyerahan simbolis trofi Si Kuping Besar tersebut diharapkan mampu memberikan tambahan motivasi bagi perjuangan skuad Les Parisiens di partai final.
"I hope it’ll bring luck to the team and to all Parisian supporters," harap Presnel Kimpembe, Mantan Pemain PSG.
