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Arsenal were denied a historic first Champions League triumph in agonizing circumstances, as defending champions Paris Saint-Germain eliminated the Gunners in a penalty shootout.
The north Londoners, riding high on their domestic achievements, got off to a dream start in Budapest and made PSG work considerably harder than Inter Milan had managed the previous year. Kai Havertz's early opener allowed them to sit deep and defend, with Mikel Arteta's shrewd tactic of deploying a wall of physical defenders to shield David Raya's goal proving highly effective.
The fluid Parisians struggled to break through for much of the match, but their quality ensured that a brief Arsenal lapse was punished. They drew level from the spot after Cristhian Mosquera was caught on the wrong side of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, and German referee Daniel Siebert's decision was widely considered correct.
However, significant controversy surrounds whether Siebert got his other key ruling right. Arsenal felt they deserved a penalty of their own in extra time when Noni Madueke was brought down by Nuno Mendes. Siebert dismissed their appeals, and VAR chose not to intervene.
Why Nuno Mendes Wasn't Penalized for Tussle With Noni Madueke
Madueke came on as a substitute for Saka, who had spent much of the final assisting defensively rather than contributing in attack. The England winger brought a burst of energy to Arsenal's labored possession game, and a sharp run past Mendes, under different circumstances, might well have earned a spot kick.
In real time, the PSG left back's challenge appeared clumsy — he was trailing Madueke in the foot race and seemed to drag the winger to the ground.
However, replays revealed that the initial contact between the two players began outside the penalty area before continuing inside it. Madueke also appeared to be the instigator, grabbing Mendes's arm and causing the left back to lose his footing, leading to the fall. The situation was untidy, but Siebert's on-field call had to stand — this was no "clear and obvious" error.
"I've seen them given," was the general sentiment among commentators, but former Premier League referee Graham Scott supported Siebert's decision: "I watched the PSG defender's actions throughout the challenge, and some angles suggested he had committed an offense, others didn't," he told The Athletic. "While the players were locking arms, they are both competing for space, but all the contact looks well within acceptable thresholds.
"I doubt a VAR would have seen enough to overturn a penalty had one been awarded. But ultimately I would rather defend the referee for keeping out of this one than try to build a defence had he succumbed to pressure and pointed to the spot."
Mikel Arteta suggested the incident "easily" could have resulted in a penalty, while Declan Rice, who received a booking for his protests, felt his side were wronged: "I was gutted at the time because I thought the ref would go and have a look [at a replay on the pitchside monitor], but it was obviously not clear enough to be a penalty. I thought it was and so did our bench and our players."