84 people currently following
PSG beat Arsenal on penalties in the Champions League final and the image that will haunt every Gunners fan is Gabriel Magalhaes standing alone after his spot kick failed. Paris Saint Germain won 4-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw. They keep the trophy. Arsenal are left with nothing but tears and a long flight home.
The match started like a dream for Arsenal. Six minutes in and Kai Havertz smashed the ball into the roof of the net. The Gunners had the perfect start. Then they did what they do best. They dropped deep. They defended like their lives depended on it. PSG had all the possession and none of the answers. The first half ended with Arsenal’s lead intact and belief growing.
The second half followed the same script until the hour mark. Cristhian Mosquera brought down Khvicha Kvaratskhelia inside the box. Penalty. Ousmane Dembele stepped up and buried it. The resolve that had held for sixty minutes cracked in a single moment.
Both teams pushed for a winner in the remaining time. Chances came and went. Nothing went in. Extra time arrived and delivered more tension and zero goals. Penalties were inevitable.
Both sides missed. Both sides scored. Then it came down to Gabriel. The defender walked up to the spot with the weight of a club on his shoulders. His kick failed. PSG players sprinted toward their goalkeeper. Arsenal players collapsed to the grass. Luis Enrique joined Pep Guardiola as a three time Champions League winner. Mikel Arteta stood on the sideline knowing his team came this close and left with nothing.
Arsenal are the best defensive team in Europe. They proved it for most of the final. None of that matters now. The trophy is in Paris. Again.
Arsenal defended like the best team in Europe for 60 minutes. But finals are not won on defending alone. The margin is razor thin
Dembele scoring the penalty that started the comeback. From villain to hero in Paris. That’s football in one sentence
Arsenal the best defensive team around. But you need goals to kill games. One goal was never going to be enough against PSG
Gutted for the Arsenal fans who traveled to Budapest. They sang for 120 minutes and watched their team lose on the final kick. Football is beautiful and brutal
Arsenal scored in SIX minutes and defended like warriors for an hour. One penalty ruined everything. This sport is so cruel
Mosquera’s foul was so unnecessary. Kvaratskhelia was going nowhere. One lapse of judgment. Season over 😫
Havertz scored. The defense was perfect for 60 minutes. Then Mosquera gave away a penalty. Then Gabriel missed the final kick. Pain upon pain
PSG back to back Champions League winners. Luis Enrique in the history books. Hate them or rate them, that’s legacy
Arteta has to pick this team up after THIS. Losing a final on penalties is the hardest thing in football. Harder than a 5-0 drubbing
PSG didn’t even play that well. Possession without threat for most of the game. But penalties don’t care about performance
Luis Enrique now has three Champions League titles. Arteta still chasing his first. The gap between almost and done is a canyon
Gabriel didn’t deserve that ending. He’s been a rock all season. Penalties are a lottery and this time he lost
This will either break Arsenal or make them. Next season they either come back stronger or crumble under the weight of this loss
Gabriel missing the final penalty… that man will replay that kick in his head for the rest of his life 💔💔