LONDON, May 26 — From Jens Lehmann’s rush of blood to ‘Nayim from the halfway line’, Arsenal will have to banish three decades of European final misery if they are to win...
Arsenal ’s Italian defender Riccardo Calafiori lifts the Premier League trophy at a presentation ceremony on the pitch after the English Premier League football match between Crystal Palace and Arsenal at Selhurst Park in south London on May 24, 2026.
Arsenal are English league champions for the first time since 2004, winning the league by seven points. — AFP pic! Plus, enjoy an additional FREE RM10 when you sign up using code VERSAMM10 with a min. cash-in of RM100 today. T&Cs apply.
LONDON, May 26 — From Jens Lehmann’s rush of blood to ‘Nayim from the halfway line’, Arsenal will have to banish three decades of European final misery if they are to win the Champions League for the first time. Fresh from clinching their first English title since 2004, Mikel Arteta’s side are preparing to face Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final in Budapest on Saturday.
Bringing home the club’s first Champions League crown just 12 days after their long-awaited Premier League triumph would make it the greatest season in Arsenal’s illustrious history. Since Tony Adams lifted the Cup Winners Cup after Alan Smith sealed a 1-0 win over Parma in 1994, the north Londoners have endured four painful defeats in continental finals.
In 1995, they returned to the Cup Winners Cup final, losing 2-1 to Real Zaragoza in agonising fashion when Nayim caught out Arsenal keeper David Seaman with an astonishing lob from 40 yards in the last minute of extra-time. Rubbing salt into Arsenal wounds, Nayim previously played for their arch rivals Tottenham, whose fans have celebrated the moment by chanting ‘Nayim from the halfway line’ ever since.
Five years later, Arsene Wenger took Arsenal to the Uefa Cup final, with victory expected against Galatasaray in Copenhagen. But the Turkish underdogs frustrated Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp and company in a 0-0 draw before winning 4-1 on penalties.
However, Wenger’s men left Paris in despair after their keeper Lehmann was sent off for racing out of his penalty area to foul Samuel Eto’o early in the first half. Despite playing with 10 men, Arsenal took the lead through Sol Campbell, but late goals from Eto’o and Juliano Belletti broke their hearts.
Unai Emery has won the Europa League five times as manager of Aston Villa, Villarreal and Sevilla, but his lone defeat in the final of that tournament came with Arsenal, who were thrashed 4-1 by Chelsea in Baku in 2019. Arsenal also lost the 1980 Cup Winners Cup final against Valencia, with their only other European silverware coming in the long-forgotten Inter-Cities Fairs Cup in 1970.
Exorcising those demons would be the crowning glory for Arteta, who has ended Arsenal’s six-year trophy drought by leading them to the club’s 14th Premier League title. Following Sunday’s 2-1 win at Crystal Palace in their last game of the domestic season, Arteta joined Arsenal’s players and backroom staff to celebrate at a Mediterranean restaurant in London’s Mayfair on Sunday night.
The party lasted long into the night at several other celebrity hot spots, with Declan Rice seen singing the ‘Ice Ice baby’ tune that has become Arsenal fans’ anthem for their influential midfielder. Just hours after lifting the trophy at sun-drenched Selhurst Park, Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard summed up the ecstatic mood ahead of the trip to Budapest.
“Everyone is so happy. We’re living a dream, winning the Premier League and being in a Champions League final,” he said. Arteta interrupted the revelry to keep his players focused, praising the unity in the squad and urging them to follow their title triumph by conquering Europe.
“We’ve already talked about what we have to do in Budapest, how we’re going to use all the incredible energy that we’re all carrying towards that final. Holders PSG present a formidable challenge after beating Arsenal 3-1 on aggregate in the semi-finals last season.
Champions League Mikel Arteta Paris Saint-Germain Puskas Arena Budapest
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