Mikel Arteta Explains Gabriel's Penalty Decision in Champions League Final

Arsenal's head coach Mikel Arteta has disclosed that Gabriel Magalhaes expressed his desire to take the pivotal penalty that he ultimately missed during the Champions League final. The Brazilian defender stepped up for the fifth penalty in the shootout, but his effort sailed over the crossbar, denying Paris Saint-Germain the chance to secure sudden death. This miss allowed PSG to clinch their second consecutive Champions League title while Arsenal was left to reflect on missed chances after a hard-fought match that went to penalties.

This was Gabriel's first penalty attempt for Arsenal, coming at a time when Arteta had rotated his squad significantly. The manager made six substitutions before the match entered extra time, which meant regular penalty takers like Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka, and Kai Havertz were no longer available for the shootout. “He wanted to take it,” Arteta remarked about Gabriel. “Normally the penalty takers would be Bukayo, Martin, and Kai. But we knew if the game went to extra time and penalties, different players would have to step forward.”

In addition to Gabriel, Eberechi Eze also failed to convert his penalty, while Viktor Gyokeres, Declan Rice, and Gabriel Martinelli successfully scored from the spot. Following the match, Rice offered support to both Eze and Gabriel, calling the outcome “cruel.”

“To miss a penalty in a Champions League final, obviously it's not nice,” Rice stated during an interview with TNT Sports. “But we love them and we're with them. It happens in football. They’re not going to be the last players to miss penalties in finals.” He added, “Everybody has missed a penalty, and without those two this season we wouldn’t have won the Premier League, that’s for sure. Gabriel, I’ve run out of words for him as a person and as a player. Eze has scored some crucial goals for us this season. It happens. It’s football, and it’s cruel. We take the positives and keep going.”