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It was a showpiece that held the football world in its grip, the tension mounting exponentially, everything on the line. For Paris Saint-Germain, there was the opportunity to make it clear that this is a dynastic team; the rarity of retaining a Champions League title.

For Arsenal, it was simple. Never mind the Invincibles. They stood to be immortal, a first triumph in this competition to follow their first Premier League triumph in 22 years; the thing that has changed everything about the mood around the club.

It was a clash of styles, Arsenal defending with characteristic aggression after Kai Havertz had put them again in the early running. The striker had scored the winning goal in this game for Chelsea against Manchester City in 2021. Was he poised to be the hero again?

PSG rallied, Ousmane Dembélé equalising from the penalty spot in the 65th minute and it was the prompt for the gloves to come off, both teams pushing, everybody aware that it would most likely come down to one moment. And, when the teams could not be separated after extra-time, it came in the penalty shootout.

It was the longest of walks for Gabriel Magalhães, Arsenal’s defensive titan, to take the final kick of the regulation five rounds. His teammate, Eberechi Eze, on as a substitute, had missed the target in round two only for David Raya to square it back up by denying Nuno Mendes in round three.

Gabriel had to score to keep Arsenal alive and he appeared to be delayed by the referee, Daniel Siebert. His heart hammered. So did that of everyone. And it was all too much. Gabriel went for power and the ball was still rising as it cleared the crossbar. The PSG fans behind the goal lit red flares in celebration. Arsenal were broken. Theirs had been a heroic effort. It was not enough.

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