Mikel Arteta Defends Arsenal’s Penalty Decisions In UCL Final Defeat

Arsenal manager, Mikel Arteta, has defended the decision to let Gabriel Magalhaes take the club’s fifth penalty in their heartbreaking UEFA Champions League final shootout defeat to Paris Saint-Germain, insisting the Brazilian centre-back personally asked for the responsibility.

Gabriel’s effort sailed over the bar in the decisive moment of the shootout, handing PSG the trophy after a dramatic Champions League final in Budapest.

The decision sparked debate among supporters and pundits, with several questioning why a defender was entrusted with such a crucial kick. Among those surprised was Arsenal legend Thierry Henry.

Speaking on CBS Sports, Henry said: “I always say when you go and take the penalty I will always have respect for you.

“I don’t know why he went, I don’t know how he arrived to be the fifth guy but he went. How he played all season and tonight was immense. But he missed it. But he didn’t hide.”

Arteta addressed those concerns after the match, revealing that Gabriel had volunteered for the spot-kick.

“He wanted to take number five, honestly,” Arteta explained. “We have prepared and trained for this moment.

“Normally, the penalty takers would be Bukayo, Martin, Kai for sure. We knew that if we got extra time on penalties, the penalty takers would be different players, still with the quality when you see Ebz (Eberechi Eze) take penalties in training, he doesn’t miss any, but then you have to do in this moment.

“It’s unfortunate not to have the same precision and efficiency that they had and that’s the reason that we haven’t won.”

The shootout swung dramatically after Arsenal’s Eberechi Eze failed to convert. Goalkeeper David Raya kept his side alive by saving Nuno Mendes’ penalty before Declan Rice levelled the scores at 3-3.

PSG defender Lucas Beraldo then restored the French side’s advantage, leaving Gabriel needing to score to extend the shootout. Instead, his effort flew over the crossbar, sealing Arsenal’s defeat.

The miss capped a cruel ending for Gabriel, who had been one of Arsenal’s standout performers throughout the final. The defender helped limit PSG to few clear openings after Kai Havertz had given the Gunners an early lead six minutes into the match.

PSG eventually drew level through Ousmane Dembele’s second-half penalty after Cristhian Mosquera was penalised for a foul, and neither side could find a winner before the match went to penalties.

Despite the disappointment, Declan Rice was quick to rally behind his team-mates.

“To miss a penalty in a Champions League final, obviously it’s not nice,” Rice told 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. Everyone 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.”