MARCEL MBAMALU
Football punishes proximity. That is, being close to success counts for nothing if you do not actually achieve it.
Arsenal dreamt early after going ahead on 6 minutes when Kai Havertz scored. They held on until the 65th minute when Ousmane Dembélé equalized for PSG via the penalty spot.
After 120 minutes, Arsenal had a heartbreak in Budapest, losing 4-3 on penalties to PSG, who looked the better side on the night.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelThe easy take is collapse. The honest one is construction.
This wasn’t the Arsenal that lost to Chelsea in 2019 or Villarreal in 2021. This was a team that led for 64 minutes, frustrated PSG for long stretches, and only blinked once — a rough back clipping by Cristhian Mosquera on PSG’s Khvicha Kvaratskhelia that handed Dembele the spot-kick.
Arteta’s project didn’t die on that penalty. It was built on the ruins of a wounded club.
From top-four hopefuls to Premier League title challengers. From Europa League outsiders to Champions League finalists. The trophy cabinet isn’t full yet. But the foundation is.
Yes, it hurts because they expected to win now. That expectation is the real proof of progress. A few years ago, Arsenal weren’t even in the conversation. Today, the conversation starts with why they didn’t finish it.
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Heartbreak should sting. It shouldn’t define them.
The penalty was the killer, not the performance. For so long, Arsenal led, absorbed, pressed, and frustrated PSG’s galaxy of talent. They organized, they believed. Then one second from Cristhian Mosquera undid it all. A tug, a clip, a whistle. PSG converted from the spot and momentum shifted. This is Champions League football at its cruelest: you can dominate the narrative and lose the moment. Arsenal didn’t collapse in Budapest. They blinked. And at this level, blinking is enough.
This is not the Arsenal of 2019 that folded against Chelsea, or the Arsenal of 2021 that Villarreal out-thought. This is an Arsenal that took Manchester City to the wire for three straight seasons, that became genuine title challengers again, and that walked into a European final expecting to win. The pain is sharper precisely because the standards are higher. You don’t cry this hard after Europa League semi-finals. You cry like this after leading a Champions League final. That shift — from outsiders to contenders — is Arteta’s real trophy. The cabinet can wait. The project is already delivering.
The danger now isn’t PSG. It’s what comes after. Liverpool showed how fast success can curdle. One season after lifting the Premier League, their intensity dropped, identity blurred, and dressing-room cracks widened. Arsenal must avoid that slide. No panic buying. No tearing down the blueprint. The task is refinement: deeper squad, smarter recruitment, sharper concentration for 90 minutes plus stoppage time. Winning once is hard. Staying elite is harder. Arteta has built the foundation. Now he must prove Arsenal can live on it. Because heartbreak should sting. It should never define them.
Squad depth is the next frontier.
Arsenal’s XI can match anyone in Europe. The gap shows when Plan A gets kicked. Havertz scored early, but when PSG cranked up the pressure, Arsenal lacked a second wave. One more elite winger, one more midfield engine, one more killer off the bench — that’s the difference between leading a final and winning it. The transfer window can’t be about vanity signings. It must be about 90-minute depth. Because finals aren’t won in the first 60 minutes. They’re decided in the last 30.
This Arsenal doesn’t lack talent. They’re learning how to handle expectation. The shift from “happy to be here” to “we should win this” is psychologically violent. City took years to master it. Real Madrid were born with it. Arsenal are in between. Budapest was a lesson in game management: when to kill, when to control, when to suffer. That education only comes from nights like this. Painful, yes. But necessary. You don’t learn how to win finals by avoiding them.
For Prime Business Africa readers, there’s another angle: credibility has value. Arsenal’s run to Budapest lifted brand equity, matchday revenue, and commercial appeal. Sponsors pay more when you’re in finals, not just the Europa League. Nigerian fans filled viewing centres from Lagos to Enugu because this team made them believe again. That belief is an asset. Lose it through panic or stagnation, and the financial hit is real. Keep building, and Arsenal don’t just chase trophies. They become one.
The door didn’t slam shut in Budapest. It’s still ajar.
Arsenal just need to learn how to push it open before it closes for good.
Dr Mbamalu is the publisher of Prime Business Africa
Dr. Marcel Mbamalu is a distinguished communication scholar, journalist, and entrepreneur with three decades of experience in the media industry. He holds a Ph.D. in Mass Communication from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, and serves as the publisher of Prime Business Africa, a renowned multimedia news platform catering to Nigeria and Africa's socio-economic needs.
Dr. Mbamalu's journalism career spans over two decades, during which he honed his skills at The Guardian Newspaper, rising to the position of senior editor. Notably, between 2018 and 2023, he collaborated with the World Health Organization (WHO) in Northeast Nigeria, training senior journalists on conflict reporting and health journalism.
Dr. Mbamalu's expertise has earned him international recognition. He was the sole African representative at the 2023 Jefferson Fellowship program, participating in a study tour of the United States and Asia (Japan and Hong Kong) on inclusion, income gaps, and migration issues.
In 2020, he was part of a global media team that covered the United States presidential election.
Dr. Mbamalu has attended prestigious media trainings, including the Bloomberg Financial Journalism Training and the Reuters/AfDB Training on "Effective Coverage of Infrastructural Development in Africa."
As a columnist for The Punch Newspaper, with insightful articles published in other prominent Nigerian dailies, including ThisDay, Leadership, The Sun, and The Guardian, Dr. Mbamalu regularly provides in-depth analysis on socio-political and economic issues.
