Mikel Arteta’s first words after losing Champions League final as Arsenal stars in tears | Football | Sport

Gabriel was the villain, as the typically imperious defender blazed his penalty over the crossbar. It was the cruellest way for the Premier League champions to lose the biggest game in European football, having originally taken the lead through Kai Havertz after just six minutes.

Arteta had coached a strong game up until that point, but it all started to crumble midway through the second half when Cristhian Mosquera bundled down Khvicha Kvaratskhelia inside the penalty area, with Ousmane Dembele tucking home from 12 yards. Penalties continued to define the match, with PSG triumphing 4-3 in the shootout.

When the referee blew for full-time, it was clear emotions were high, with Eberechi Eze and Noni Madueke seen in tears. Meanwhile, Gabriel, who missed the penalty kick, was also struggling to hold himself together.

It’s a bitter pill for Arteta to take, and speaking after the trophy celebrations, he remarked: “It’s very tough to accept when you are so consistent in the competition all the way to the final and you lose it on penalty kicks. It’s a difficult one.”

Extra time was a cagey affair, but Arsenal players and the coaching team were fuming when the referee waved away claims for a penalty after a coming together between Noni Madueke and Nuno Mendes. Unsurprisingly, Arteta bemoaned the decision during his debrief, saying the referee made a mistake.

He said: “I watch it back and it could easily be a penalty. Especially we see the penalty they gave me this year in the competition. This season, the referee made a decision, and he made a different one with Cristhian Mosquera and that is an important one.”

Before adding: “That I’m so proud of them. That we have, under the circumstances that we know internally what we’ve been through. To manage this group of players, the way they carry this badge. We got to the big one and we missed on the biggest one…

“We haven’t done it for 22 years [win the league] and it is only the second time in our history [we have reached the final]. We need to recognise the season that we had. Nobody is going to take the pain away from you.”