The plan almost worked for Arsenal. Mikel Arteta had however promised the “show” on the eve of the meeting and a match in the same vein as the unforgettable semi-final first leg between PSG and Bayern Munich (5-4). However, with the goal scored from the start by Kai Havertz, the Gunners decided to simply defend, setting up three tight lines on the edge of the area. Even after Ousmane Dembélé’s equalizer shortly after the hour mark, Arsenal seemed to be waiting for the penalty shootout, which was ultimately fatal.
The statistics speak for themselves in this regard. The Londoners thus had only 25% possession during the match, exchanged 196 passes during 120 minutes against 809 on the Parisian side and finished the match with 0.31 expected goals after the opening score. The figures are overwhelming and the English champions did not escape criticism after the meeting.
“We deserved the victory, because PSG was the only team that wanted to play,” said Joao Neves after the meeting. An analysis shared by Alex Fergusson when congratulating Nasser Al-Khelaïfi at the end of the meeting. “Well done, it was a tough night for you, but you played against a boring team who did nothing but defend”whispered the former Manchester United coach.
“The worst performance I have ever seen in a Champions League final”
Jamie Carragher, former Red, was even more virulent. “This could be the worst performance I have ever seen in a Champions League final. Honestly, Arsenal played like Getafe for 120 minutes. Ninety minutes of sitting deep, thirty more minutes of sitting even deeper,” he analyzed, adding: “I kept waiting for them to show a little ambition, a little courage, but the plan seemed obvious: survive, survive, survive and hope David Raya wins the penalty shootout. It’s the Champions League final, not a fight to stay. »
For his part, Mikel Arteta seemed to want to justify this minimalist game by the superiority of the Parisians. “Congratulations to PSG and especially to Luis, because they are, in my opinion, the best team in the world. I have never seen before in my life what they are capable of with the ball in individual actions. They forced us to play in a style we didn’t want.”he confided.
