VOICE OF NAIJA – Paris Saint-Germain underlined their status as one of European football’s greatest-ever teams by becoming only the second club to successfully retain the Champions League title.
Their nervy 4-3 penalty shootout victory over Arsenal, following a 1-1 draw in the final in Budapest, backed up their emphatic 5-0 win over Inter Milan in Munich 12 months earlier.
In doing so, they became the first side to successfully defend the title since Real Madrid’s three-peat from 2016 to 2018, and only the second team to achieve the feat in the Champions League era (since 1993).
Indeed, across the competition’s 71-year history, PSG are only the 10th club to win successive European titles.
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“I’m mixed,” manager Luis Enrique said after the game. “Excitement, fatigue — everything. But this is the best moment of the season. We are still champions. Two in a row — it’s amazing.”
All 10 outfield players who started PSG’s victory over Arsenal also started their win over Inter Milan.
Only goalkeeper Matvey Safonov was new to the lineup, replacing Gianluigi Donnarumma, who was signed by Manchester City last summer.
Over the past two years, Luis Enrique’s side have dominated almost every competition they have entered.
Since the start of last season, they have won eight of the 10 trophies available to them, missing out only on last summer’s Club World Cup and this season’s French Cup.
If they continue their dominance next season, PSG could become only the fifth side to win three consecutive Champions League/European Cup titles.
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However, they still have some way to go before matching Real Madrid’s record of five successive European Cups between 1956 and 1960.
“Tonight, PSG have made history,” European football journalist Julien Laurens said on BBC Radio 5 Live.
“Last season will always be special, but I think they will enjoy this one more because they had to dig deep, they had to fight, and they had to come from behind.
“Last season was almost a bit too easy against Inter. By winning back-to-back titles, they have joined the greatest teams of all time.”
BBC Sport
