Arsenal's dreams of conquering Europe ended in a painful penalty shootout defeat against PSG in the Champions League final. At the Puskás Aréna in Budapest, Brazilian defender Gabriel Magalhaes missed the decisive spot-kick, handing the trophy to the French club. After the match, Mikel Arteta addressed questions regarding why the defender took the fifth penalty. This is reported by Goal.com .
Arteta stated that Gabriel Magalhaes wanted to take the responsibility under such high pressure himself. "He genuinely wanted to take the fifth penalty. We had prepared for these moments. Usually, our main penalty takers were supposed to be Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard, and Kai Havertz. However, due to extra time and the end of the game, the lineup changed. In training, players like Eberechi Eze did not miss, but in the real game, precision was lacking," the coach said.
One of the team leaders, Declan Rice, also defended his teammates. He urged not to blame them for the mistakes made by Gabriel and Eberechi Eze. "Missing a penalty in a Champions League final is very tough. But in football, anyone can miss a penalty. Without them, we wouldn't have won the Premier League this season. It's a cruel ending, but we must focus on the positives," added Rice.
Although Mikel Arteta was unhappy that a foul on Noni Madueke went unpunished during the match, he did not want to discuss the referees' decisions. Despite the defeat, winning the Premier League title after a 22-year drought was a huge achievement for the team. Now, the "Gunners" are preparing to celebrate their domestic league victory with their fans in London.
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