Gabriel Magalhaes has opened up on the “painful” experience of missing the decisive penalty in Arsenal’s Champions League final defeat to Paris Saint-Germain.
The Brazilian defender saw his effort fly over the bar in Budapest, handing the French giants their second consecutive European crown.
Despite the personal heartbreak, the center back remains defiant and proud of the Gunners’ historic season.
Shootout Drama Ruins Double Dream
Mikel Arteta’s side entered the final as newly crowned Premier League champions, and they got off to a dream start when Kai Havertz found the net after just six minutes.
However, PSG clawed their way back when Ousmane Dembélé converted from the spot in the second half.
The stalemate led to the lottery of penalties, where David Raya’s save from Nuno Mendes was canceled out by Eberechi Eze’s wide effort. The pressure fell on Gabriel for the fifth kick, but his wayward strike flew over the crossbar, sparking wild celebrations for Luis Enrique’s men.
Gabriel Sends Message To Arsenal Faithful
Taking to social media to address the Gunners support, Gabriel expressed his deep disappointment but insisted he remains immensely proud of a campaign that saw the club end a 22-year drought to secure the Premier League title.
“It’s painful, but I’m proud of this team and everything we achieved together this season,’ the defender wrote on Instagram.
‘Thank you to our incredible fans for your support every step of the way. You deserve to celebrate this journey with us and enjoy the parade today! See you next season!!! Love, Big Gabi.”
Arteta Defends The Defender’s Courage
Despite the criticism from some sections of the fanbase, Arteta was quick to explain the reasoning behind the shootout order.
The Arsenal manager revealed that Gabriel volunteered to take number five honestly after the club’s primary specialists had already been substituted or were unavailable following a grueling 120 minutes of action.
“He (Gabriel) wanted to take number five honestly. We have prepared and trained for this moment,” Arteta explained. “Normally the penalty takers would be Bukayo [Saka], Martin [Odegaard], Kai [Havertz] for positive. We knew that if we received additional time on penalties, the penalty takers could be totally different gamers, nonetheless with the standard whenever you see Ebz [Eberechi Eze] take penalties in coaching, he does not miss any, however then you must do on this second.
It is unlucky to not have the identical precision and effectivity that they’d and that is the explanation that we’ve not received.”
London Turns Crimson For Title Parade
There was little time for the Arsenal squad to dwell on the Budapest disappointment, because the membership’s Premier League title parade happened earlier right now.
1000’s of supporters descended on north London to rejoice the membership’s first home league triumph in over 20 years, inflicting vital journey disruptions throughout the capital.
Regardless of the European silver medal, the temper in Islington remained celebratory as Arteta led his squad on the 5.6-mile victory route.
2026 FIFA World Cup: How To Watch
The 2026 FIFA World Cup will run from June 11–July 19, 2026. Unfold throughout three nations, the match will culminate with the ultimate on July 19 at New York New Jersey Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. All 104 match matches will air stay throughout FOX (70) and FS1 (34) with each match streaming stay and on-demand inside each the FOX One and the FOX Sports activities app. A report 40 matches, greater than one-third of the match, will air in prime time throughout FOX (21) and FS1 (19).
The opening match on June 11 between Mexico and South Africa (3 p.m. ET) will stream free of charge on Tubi, in addition to the USA’s opening match towards Paraguay on June 12 (9 p.m. ET).
