At the end the clash between PSG and Arsenalended with the second triumph of the Parisians in the Champions League, the GSP reporters present at the “Puškaș Arena” captured images that tell, more eloquently than any figure or analysis, the story of a dramatic final, after the winner's name was engraved on the trophy after the penalty shootout.
PSG made history: the first team to defend their trophy after Real Madrid in 2018, the first team from France to reach two “ears”. On the lawn, success translated into an explosion of emotions. Luis Enrique unleashed at the final whistle, the players celebrated with the supporters and Nasser Al-Khelaifi, the president and main financier of the Parisian club, lived to the full the moment for which he invested years, just as it happened last year in Munich.
A few meters away, the picture was completely different. Arsenal's players stared blankly, trying to process yet another European disappointment. 20 years after losing the final to Barcelona, the Londoners again missed out on the chance to win the Champions League, although, as then, they entered the booths with the advantage and dreams that the curse of 2006 would finally be banished.
PHOTO. The best shots captured by GSP, after the final whistle in PSG – Arsenal
GSP reporters present in the Hungarian capital caught several new details which either went slightly unnoticed or went viral amid the Parisian celebration and London disappointment: from Luis Enrique's choice to stay in the background and Nasser Al-Khelaifi's unusual involvement in the festivities, to the moment Aleksander Ceferin forgot to give Marquinhos his medal or the absence of fireworks at the awards ceremony.
All these snapshots, and many more, can be discovered in the following lines.
Luis Enrique imitated Cristi Chivu and refused to be the main character
When lifting the trophy, Luis Enrique preferred to remain in the background. The PSG coach watched from the sidelines and applauded his students, leaving the players to bask in their moment of glory. Cristi Chivu did the same after winning the Coppa Italia final with Lazio.
It is also worth noting that Luis Enrique consoled Raya, the one he debuted for the Spanish national team on March 26, 2022, in a friendly with Albania, score 2-1, then included him in the squad for the 2022 World Championship.
After watching the penalties separately from the technical staff, in contrast to Arteta, who stood arm-in-arm with the people he works with, Luis Enrique went wild on the pitch, dancing in front of the fans.
Nasser Al-Khelaifi, from the VIP box to the podium celebration
If Luis Enrique was reserved at the moment of awarding the trophy, Nasser Al-Khelaifi, the president of the Parisian club, was right in the middle of the ecstasy of the players, actively participating in the celebration on the podium, unusual for a man in his position.
He was part of the group that awarded the players, lifted the trophy, then made the rounds of the microphones for interviews, including for the official channel of the Parisian club.
During the game, the GSP photojournalist caught Nasser Al-Khelaifi in the official box in the company of some of the most influential characters present at the Champions League final. Next to the Qatari were Gianni Infantino, the president of FIFA, Aleksander Ceferin, the president of UEFA, Stan Kroenke, the owner of Arsenal, his son, Josh Kroenke, one of the leaders of the London club, but also Peter Magyar, the new prime minister of Hungary.
Ceferin forgot to give the medal to Marquinhos and the mystery of the absence of fireworks
Back to Marquinhos, a funny moment happened when PSG were to lift the trophy, with UEFA president Ceferin. He forgot to hand the medal even to the French captainbeing warned by Dembele about this fact.
Marquinhos was at the center of another special moment: while all his team-mates sprinted to the pitch to celebrate another UCL triumph, the stopper found respite to console Gabriel, his team-mate in the center of the Brazilian national team's defence, after sending the decisive penalty into the stands.
Also, unusually for a Champions League final, the moment of lifting the trophy was not accompanied by fireworks. UEFA did not offer an official explanation, but the decision could have been influenced by security considerations or the unfavorable weather forecast in Budapest.
