So near and yet so far for Arsenal

Arsenal's players prepare for a penalty shootout during the UEFA Champions League final football match between Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and Arsenal FC at the Puskas Arena in Budapest on May 30, 2026. [AFP]

Being a foot soldier in the Arsenal’s brigade isn’t a role for the weak. The ire when they nearly miss out on a trophy, the preposterousness, the obsession, the imposingness…

Twice they’ve come close to being European champions, and twice they’ve lost. Just when will their pay day be?

Just as it was 20 years ago when Arsenal played Barcelona in the 2006 Champions League final, and lost, it was inches close for The Gunners, again. And yes, they lost, again.

On Saturday night against Paris Saint-Germain, the team from London was even closer to glory. Very close.

It had been 20 years of wandering in the wilderness in search of European glory. It was yet another magnificent campaign for Arsenal in this year’s Champions League journey. Coming to Saturday’s final, the English Premier League champions had never tasted defeat this season. Perfect run.

They were on a path of making history. You could feel it; you could sense it. It was there, a rare double title victory was loading. They wanted to renew their strength. They wanted to mount up with wings like eagles; run and not be weary; walk and not faint.

Fate had brought them to stand upon a mountaintop overlooking the land of promise. They could see it.

But in the twinkling of an eye, all evaporated before their incredulous eyes. Wiped out in seconds. Gone.

It was nightmarish. They’d have wished to wake up to a morning full of nothing but glory.

When it mattered most, the Gunners were shooting with little aim. After 120 minutes of high-octane football, their fervent fans were left voiceless, and their dream in tatters.

They were in touching distance of unknown fame and grandeur, but in the end, it was yet another painful reminder that some things are protracted, grim and delicate.

From the opening whistle, it was tight. Too close to make the final call. A Champions League final that provided the most fitting of conclusions. Innumerable superlatives could have been used to define that action on Saturday night in Budapest.

It was going to be a final like no other. While Arsenal were chasing their first Champions League title, PSG were on a pedestal to stardom.

No one had ever won back-to-back Champions League titles save for Real Madrid from 2016 to 2018, but PSG did it.

A 4-3 post-match penalty final score was all the Parisians craved. It’s a result that makes them the most dominant football club in most corners of the earth, for the time being. Arguably? Maybe.

Just like utilitarians, the end justified the means. Many would have expected the tie to end in normal time, probably, but PSG did. What mattered most was the what, not how. To them, all they cared for was ending on the right side of small margins.

So, when Arsenal’s dependable and stoic defender Gabriel’s pivotal penalty vanished into Budapest’s skies, it was a done deal. Game over.

It was always going to be deafening. A final to behold. These two teams have been playing admirable football, but some games aren’t the same. Some seem bigger than others. Some are better than others, while to a few, quite memorable. And this was one of them.

Millions of fans took vantage positions, just to follow the 90-minute affair (with the possibility of 30 minutes of added time and post-match penalties thereafter).

Thousands of miles away from Puskas Arena, Hungary's largest stadium and venue of the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League final, Kenyans, too, wanted to be part of the bash.

Countless watch-parties were at hand to offer that awe-inspiring moment. Many fans couldn’t hide their loyalty. Most aficionados were rooting for the London team, Arsenal. Most of their attire was red and white. Shoes: red, tracks: red, t-shirt: red, jumper: red and some lady fans carried red bags too.

When Kai Havertz blasted home past a kneeling Matvey Safonov in the PSG goal for an early 1-0 lead, oh, the partisan Arsenal fans were in absolute bliss.

They knew and preached to whoever wanted to listen that their’ team would be crowned champions of Europe for a historic first time. They weren't.

They had ambitions. They had dreams. The stage was set for the after-party, but in the end, there was no Arsenal party until next season, maybe.

For now, they are English Premier League champions.