Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal both score in Champions League final for first time in eight years
Ousmane Dembélé’s 65th-minute equalizer against Arsenal (1-1) ended a remarkable streak in the Champions League final. For eight years, neither team had managed to find the net in the showpiece match.
The 65th-minute strike by Ousmane Dembélé, converted from the penalty won by Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, broke a dry spell that had lasted since 2018. That year, Real Madrid defeated Liverpool 3-1 in the final—a game in which both sides scored at least once.
Before the 2026 final, seven consecutive Champions League finals had seen one team fail to score. This rare occurrence had not been seen since the late 1980s and early 1990s, when eight finals in a row saw at least one goal from each side.
Champions League finals with no goals from both teams in recent years
- 2019: Liverpool 2-0 Tottenham
- 2020: Bayern Munich 1-0 Paris Saint-Germain
- 2021: Chelsea 1-0 Manchester City
- 2022: Real Madrid 1-0 Liverpool
- 2023: Manchester City 1-0 Inter Milan
- 2024: Real Madrid 2-0 Borussia Dortmund
- 2025: Paris Saint-Germain 5-0 Inter Milan
This pattern highlights how unpredictable and tightly contested Champions League finals can be. Even the most dominant teams often struggle to break down resolute defenses in the one-off final.
