Historic Champions League Final Ends With Both Teams Scoring

The dramatic equalizer struck by Ousmane Dembélé for Paris Saint-Germain against Arsenal in the 65th minute (final score 1-1) on Saturday brought an end to an eight-year streak in the UEFA Champions League: a final where neither team found the net.

This rare occurrence in football’s most prestigious club competition last happened in 2018, when Real Madrid defeated Liverpool 3-1 in the final. Before that, the previous streak without both teams scoring spanned from 1988 to 1996, covering eight consecutive finals where only one team managed to score.

When Was the Last Champions League Final With Both Teams Scoring?

To trace back to a Champions League final where both finalists scored, one must go back to 2018. In the years that followed, seven consecutive finals were marked by a one-sided outcome, with only one team managing to find the back of the net:

• 2019: Liverpool 2-0 Tottenham
• 2020: Bayern Munich 1-0 Paris Saint-Germain
• 2021: Chelsea 1-0 Manchester City
• 2022: Real Madrid 1-0 Liverpool
• 2023: Manchester City 1-0 Inter Milan
• 2024: Real Madrid 2-0 Borussia Dortmund
• 2025: Paris Saint-Germain 5-0 Inter Milan

Dembélé’s crucial intervention, converting a penalty won by Khvicha Kvaratskhelia shortly after the hour mark, not only broke this pattern but also etched the 2026 final into Champions League history. His goal ensured that both teams had scored, a feat unseen since Madrid’s victory over Liverpool eight years prior.

A Rare Phenomenon in European Football

Such occurrences are infrequent but not unprecedented. The 2018 final between Real Madrid and Liverpool was the last time both teams found the net before Saturday’s match. The streak that ended in 2018 had been the longest of its kind in the competition’s history, with eight finals in a row where one team failed to score.

Before that, the period between 1988 and 1996 witnessed a similar trend, with eight consecutive finals featuring only one team scoring. These anomalies highlight the unpredictability and drama that the Champions League is renowned for, where every final can swing on a single moment of brilliance or misfortune.