Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal faced off this Saturday at the Puskás Arena in Budapest in the final of the 2025-2026 Champions League. The match ended with a Parisian victory on penalties (1-1 in regulation time, 4-3 on penalties). After the match, the English team’s coach, Mikel Arteta, spoke at a press conference.
Arteta: “Just one penalty away from winning the biggest club competition. It hurts.”
What are your feelings after the match?
“Pain. We were so close to winning this competition. Just one penalty away from winning the biggest club competition. It’s painful.”
You say you feel pain, but there’s also pride in having come so close?
“Of course. I could thank my entire staff a thousand times and it still wouldn’t be enough.” It’s not because we won the Premier League or played in the Champions League final, it’s mainly for the joyful moments we experienced together.
How will you turn this pain into motivation to come back?
“We have to move forward, get past this pain. We have to get back to training and keep working. I obviously congratulate PSG, who are the best team in the world right now.”
Do you think there was a penalty not given to Arsenal?
“I’ve watched all the penalties this season in this competition, and it’s easy to say that in this situation, there was a penalty.”
Imagining what would have happened if that penalty had been given must be frustrating?
“If, if, it didn’t happen, and that’s all there is to it. We have to accept it.”
Arteta: “We have to work, be ambitious, and be smart.”
You call PSG the best team in the world, what is Arsenal lacking today?
“We need to improve individually. We had players who are indispensable to us and who, for various reasons, weren’t at 100% today. That’s the area where we need to improve.”
What do you want to prepare for next season?
“First, I want to take a vacation with my family. Review what we’ve achieved. Make some important decisions to take us to the next level. We need to work hard, be ambitious, and be smart.”
