Gabriel was the villain, a typically arrogant defender sending a penalty shot over the crossbar. It was the cruelest way for the Premier League champions to lose in European football’s biggest game, having taken the lead after just six minutes with Kai Havertz’s goal.
Arteta had been playing well until then, but everything started to unravel midway through the second half when Cristian Mosquera brought down Juvica Kvaratschelia in the penalty area and Ousmane Dembele fired home from 12 yards out. The match continued into a penalty shootout, with PSG winning 4-3 in the penalty shootout.
Emotions were clearly running high as Eberechi Eze and Noni Madueke shed tears when the referee called for full-time. Meanwhile, Gabriel was struggling to compose himself after missing a penalty kick.
It was a bitter pill to swallow for Arteta, who said after the trophy celebration: “It’s very difficult to accept that we lost on penalties even though we played consistently until the final. It’s difficult.”
Extra-time was a tricky affair, but Arsenal’s players and coaching team were furious when the referee overruled a penalty claim following a contest between Noni Madueke and Nuno Mendes. Understandably, Arteta bemoaned the decision in his briefing, saying the referee had made a mistake.
“Looking back, it could easily have been a penalty, especially the penalty they gave me in this year’s competition. This season, the referee made a decision and made a different decision than Cristian Mosquera. That’s an important penalty,” he said.
Before adding: “I’m very proud of them. The fact that we were able to achieve this in a situation where we know inside what we’ve been through. Managing this group of players, how they carry this badge. We reached the big game, and we missed the biggest game…
“We haven’t (won a league title) in 22 years and this is only the second time in our history (to reach the finals). We have to recognize the season we had. No one is going to take the pain away from you.”
