Luis Enrique installs a dynasty in European football

BarcelonaWhen The Killers started to hit it big, Arsenal won what was their last Premier League in 22 years (2004) and played their first Champions League final (2006). Mr. Brightside, the first big hit from the well-known band from Las Vegas, defined a generation at the beginning of the century. It was, just like other tracks by The Strokes, Franz Ferdinand or Arcade Fire, a classic on DJ Amable's playlists at Sala Razzmatazz and caused dopamine rushes at Karma, a club that closed a few months ago after half a century filling the nights of thousands of Barcelonans. Then came Human, which became one of Pep Guardiola's Barça anthems, and other anthems of verse, chorus, bridge, coda, and raised fist. What times those were.

But before making an impression in the clubs and festivals of Southern Europe, The Killers triumphed in the United States and the United Kingdom, the two cradles of what is poorly defined as the indie genre. You only have to see how the thousands of Arsenal fans reacted during the ceremony before the Champions League final that pitted their team against PSG, the second in their entire history. UEFA decided to liven it up by bringing in Brandon Flowers and company, who drove the gunner crowd wild with a medley of their best melodies. While the Parisian supporters hummed probably familiar songs, thousands of Londoners, golden in the sun – and seasoned with beer –, chanted verses of their existence, part of the soundtrack of years in which they competed with the best in Europe, extra vitamin to face the daunting mission of overcoming the current continental dominators. The pre-match invited Mikel Arteta's team to savor a glory unprecedented in almost 140 years. But great champions, even in this case, need more disappointments before they can cry with joy.

Eleven days after winning a Premier League again, the Killers effect was about to accompany Arsenal to the madness of lifting their first Champions League. Nick Hornby, author and protagonist of the also generational Fever pitch (Febre a les grades), will continue to fail to culminate a lifetime of obsession and gunner suffering with the biggest title. Arteta's resistance manual, the same one the English club knew until the arrival of Arsène Wenger, Dennis Bergkamp or Thierry Henry, was also not enough to touch and embrace glory. The only way to challenge Luis Enrique's perfect machine was to run, defend, load the area with set pieces and take advantage of every stubble, however small, to threaten Safonov. The plan held for two hours of play, but not in the penalties, which served to install a Franco-Qatari reign (with an Asturian accent) in continental football.

The film began with an early goal from Arsenal, the work of Havertz in the 6th minute, when the euphoria of the final's prelude was still echoing in Budapest. The German, a false nine, took advantage of a poor clearance from Marquinhos caused by Odegaard's pressure to run vertically towards PSG's goal and beat it with an unpredictable strike past the near post. Pacho, too optimistic in his advanced defense, miscalculated and was late in correcting the Arsenal striker's ambush, who scored a goal that the Gunners defended with their claws, with the very young Lewis-Skelly running more kilometers than the Eurostar and the central pairing Saliba-Magalhaes drying up all the French talent around the area of the Catalan David Raya. The first half ended without shots on goal from the French, accustomed to being a pile driver. Dembélé, Kvaratskhelia and Doué didn't even smell it until the second half.

After the break, PSG raised the stakes on rival territory, but only managed to equalize the final from the penalty spot. Mosquera, a center-back converted to a defensive full-back, brought down Kvaratskhelia after he combined with Dembélé in a tight space. A clear penalty that El Mosquit did not waste (65'). With the score at 1-1 and the initiative in the game, the French felt more comfortable to deploy their strategy and activate their best players. In the 77th minute, Kvaratskhelia outpaced Saliba and hit the post. And when everything pointed to extra time, Vitinha came close to the winner with a shot that grazed the top of Raya's net. At this point in the final, Arsenal resorted to direct play, with the very strong Gyökeres as a substitute from the bench. Despite his training at La Masia, Arteta bet everything on muscle and physicality. Only in this way has he been able to face Manchester City and Liverpool in the Premier League and reach a Champions League final.

Possible penalty on Madueke

The extra time was a minefield. The first 15 minutes melted away without chances and with a controversy caused by a fall by the speedy Madueke in Safonov's area. The entire Arsenal claimed a penalty from Nuno Mendes, but neither the referee nor VAR signaled it. Along the way, PSG lost Vitinha, their engine in midfield, just as they lost Dembélé in attack. The World Cup is approaching and muscles are sending distress signals. For the Londoners, Hincapie also played all the extra time with physical problems, but held on until the penalties, the inevitable solution to 120 minutes of equality. The fateful shootout smiled upon the Parisians thanks to two errors from Eze and Magalhaes, who shot their respective attempts wide. Once again, an anthem by The Killers to measure the pain: "Can we climb this mountain? I don't know. Higher now than ever before" (Can we climb this mountain? I don't know. It is now higher than ever).