Champions League final live: Arsenal lead PSG in 2nd half

The quest for Champions League supremacy comes down to this: PSG battling Arsenal in the final. Follow below for live updates.

Luis Enrique changes tactics

Paris Saint-Germain aren't camping in front of Arsenal's box in the second half. They seem to be using more of the pitch, instigating attacks from the base of their lineup with greater tempo. This approach might draw more Arsenal players to them, thereby creating more space to exploit behind. PSG are also doing a good job at winning fouls early in the second period.

🟨 Yellow card: Saka (Arsenal)

54th minute: Now Bukayo Saka gets a yellow card - and it seems a bit harsh. The referee must have thought the Arsenal winger deliberately dangled his foot in on Desire Doue after evading the Paris Saint-Germain star's tackle.

🟨 Yellow card: Mosquera (Arsenal)

46th minute: We have our first yellow card ... and it's for time-wasting. Arsenal's Cristhian Mosquera is punished for taking his time with a throw-in.

2nd half underway

Can PSG come back to retain their crown? They have 45 minutes to try and break down what has thus far looked like an impenetrable Arsenal backline.

Halftime analysis 📋

➡️ It's not an all-out press from Arsenal. Joao Neves was afforded plenty of time on the ball close to his team's 18-yard box before Kai Havertz's opener, but Paris Saint-Germain were swarmed when they dared to venture too far into midfield. The discipline and focus that Mikel Arteta has instilled at Arsenal is so impressive, especially when you consider the error-prone, wayward bunch he inherited when he took over the Gunners in December 2019.

➡️ Paris Saint-Germain are phenomenal when they break forward, but it's not happening for them so far today. There's no room to exploit. All of Arsenal's outfield players are behind the ball when PSG have possession. The reigning European champions are lacking inventiveness near Arsenal's goal, sometimes desperately firing long-range efforts over the bar. Luis Enrique needs to reassess his team's approach or just pin his hopes on some individual brilliance putting PSG back on level terms.

➡️ The likes of Marquinhos and Nuno Mendes have had unconvincing moments in Paris Saint-Germain's defense. The same can't be said for Arsenal's unaccommodating backline. Along with scorer Havertz, Gabriel has been one of the standout players of the first half. The Brazilian center-back has put his body on the line to keep PSG at bay while walloping away eight clearances.

HT: Arsenal 1, PSG 0

PSG finally show some life

43rd minute: Fabian Ruiz can't adjust his body quickly enough after a poor Arsenal clearance and heads over the bar. Nuno Mendes made a good run into the box to create the opening, which is one of the first times all half that the reigning champions have even sniffed David Raya's goal. This is an extremely impressive defensive showing from Mikel Arteta's side so far.

Safonov needs treatment

30th minute: Matvei Safonov stays down after bravely diving forward to swat a Bukayo Saka cross before it reaches Leandro Trossard's toes. The goalkeeping situation is the only confusing aspect of Luis Enrique's squad. Safonov and Lucas Chevalier have both been unconvincing since Gianluigi Donnarumma was deemed surplus to requirements last summer. After some treatment, Safonov dusts himself off and the action continues.

PSG yet to find rhythm

23rd minute: The teams are taking a water break. Paris Saint-Germain are still struggling to get a foothold in the game and are yet to test Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya. This is an extremely promising opening quarter of the match for the English side.

Havertz justifies selection

Paris Saint-Germain had committed numerous errors leading to opposition shots (26) and goals (five) in this season's Champions League before today's kickoff. That wasn't really an error from Marquinhos before Arsenal's goal, but PSG were painfully exposed when the ball bounced off Leandro Trossard near the halfway line. It didn't take long for Kai Havertz, who scored the match-winning goal for Chelsea in the 2021 Champions League final, to justify his selection ahead of Viktor Gyokeres.

🚨 GOAL: Arsenal 1, PSG 0

6th minute: Kai Havertz gives Arsenal the lead! Arsenal's organization and aggression without the ball has been excellent in the early exchanges. Havertz anticipated Leandro Trossard's block on Marquinhos' attempted smack forward, collecting the ball before quickly running at Paris Saint-Germain's goal. He was clinical when he got there, whistling a powerful strike over Matvei Safonov's head and into the roof of the net.

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1st half underway

The 71st European Cup final is underway in Budapest. Arsenal take the kickoff as they look to conquer the continent for the first time in their second appearance in a Champions League final.

Pregame notes

Champions League, World Cup double?

There's a chance that at least one player who'll hoist Ol' Big Ears today will also win the World Cup on July 19 at MetLife Stadium.

⚽️ Bet on the Champions League final with theScore Bet here

Here are the starters in today's match who'll represent a country ranked in FIFA's top 10 this summer:

France: Ousmane Dembele, Desire Doue, William Saliba
Portugal: Nuno Mendes, Joao Neves, Vitinha
Brazil: Gabriel, Marquinhos
England: Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka
Spain: David Raya, Fabian Ruiz
Belgium: Leandro Trossard
Germany: Kai Havertz
Morocco: Achraf Hakimi

More than attack vs. defense

The overriding narrative ahead of this Champions League final has been of contrasting styles: The artful and bewitching sophisticates from the continent against the grizzled set-piece brawlers from England's capital. This simplified summation of Paris Saint-Germain's and Arsenal's playing styles certainly adds intrigue; it's an almost scholarly look into what is the most effective way to approach the modern game. Force or finesse? Industry or ingenuity? Caution or courage?

But the two teams are much more well-rounded than that narrative suggests.

PSG don't just throw caution to the wind. Marquinhos and Willian Pacho are an excellent center-back duo and continue to get stronger, helped along by the more experienced player's ability to speak Spanish to the young Ecuadorian. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia might be the most exciting attacker on the planet, but he definitely doesn't shirk his defensive responsibilities.

Arsenal's devotion to set-pieces and reluctance to take risks are elements that generally make them less appealing to watch than PSG, but there are individuals in Mikel Arteta's ensemble who are capable of lighting up European football's biggest stage. Declan Rice's great strides upfield are exhilarating, and Bukayo Saka is capable of deciding matches with a moment of breathtaking beauty.

Don't get too fixated on the narrative. There's a chance this Champions League final could go off script and produce something truly unexpected.

Starting XIs

PSG (4-3-3) 🇫🇷

Matvei Safonov; Achraf Hakimi, Marquinhos, Willian Pacho, Nuno Mendes; Joao Neves, Vitinha, Fabian Ruiz; Desire Doue, Ousmane Dembele, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia

Arsenal (4-2-3-1) 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

David Raya; Cristhian Mosquera, William Saliba, Gabriel, Piero Hincapie; Declan Rice, Myles Lewis-Skelly; Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard, Leandro Trossard; Kai Havertz

Achraf Hakimi and Ousmane Dembele proved their fitness in the days ahead of the Champions League final and will start in Hungary. Warren Zaire-Emery, the young midfielder who has also impressively filled in at full-back, can count himself unlucky to be dropped for Fabian Ruiz, who started last year's final.

There were a few pressing questions about Arsenal's lineup.

Kai Havertz's ability to drop from the attack and bulk up the midfield was preferred to Viktor Gyokeres' more traditional center-forward attributes. Jurrien Timber, who's just returned from over two months on the sidelines, and Riccardo Calafiori are on the bench while Cristhian Mosquera and Piero Hincapie start in the full-back positions.

Martin Odegaard got the nod ahead of Eberechi Eze as the main creator in midfield. Myles Lewis-Skelly keeps his place in the starting lineup after spending most of the season on the fringes of Mikel Arteta's plans.

The real stars of the show

UEFA's pre-kickoff festivities will feature a performance from The Killers.

There will inevitably be some famous faces in the crowd, too, taking a break from the magnificent architecture, peaceful bath houses, and raucous ruin bars of Budapest.

But it's what's on the pitch that counts.

As the most recent Ballon d'Or winner, Ousmane Dembele is an obvious star attraction of this showdown, but the players either side of him in Paris Saint-Germain's attack, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Desire Doue, are the true entertainers.

For Arsenal, Eberechi Eze, who promises to make an impact off the bench, might be the most watchable red-clad player due to how he glides around the pitch and can produce the unexpected.

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