Arsenal fans in despair and players in tears as they lose Champions League final on penalties after their star centre back blazed his kick over the crossbar
Arsenal fans are left in despair after falling victim to football’s cruelest fate: penalty defeat in the Champions League final.
This is Arsenal’s second heartbreak in European football’s grand final: the first was a 2-1 defeat to Barcelona in 2006, before losing to back-to-back winners Paris Saint-Germain.
Kai Havertz opened the score in the first five minutes of the final, but PSG equalized with Ousmane Dembele’s penalty in the 64th minute. The teams went into extra time but neither could find the winner, which meant the dreaded decision for all the English teams: penalties.
Eberechi Eze missed Arsenal’s second penalty kick but Portuguese star Nuno Mendes saw his strike saved by David Raya. Arsenal’s players were otherwise near perfect, but when it came to centre-back Gabriel for the fifth and final penalty, he fired over the crossbar.
This was a huge heartbreak for Arsenal fans. They filled Budapest’s Puskas Arena, the city’s fan zone, the Emirates Stadium and hundreds of pubs in London.
Declan Rice summed up the mood of Arsenal as they won the Premier League title last week after a 22-year absence. “I’m devastated,” he said on TNT Sports. ‘Missing a penalty in the Champions League final is not a nice thing. But we love them (Eze and Gabriel). Look, this happens in football.
They will not be the last players to miss a penalty in the finals. Everyone missed a penalty. We wouldn’t have won the Premier League this season without them. It’s cruel, but we take the positives.’
The defeat in the Champions League final in Budapest was heartbreaking for Arsenal fans.
Arsenal fans in a bar despaired over their Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain
Arsenal fans react after seeing their team lose a penalty shoot-out near the stadium
Former Arsenal defender Matthew Upson later admitted on the BBC: ‘If you start breaking it down by points, percentages, possession and passing. You would think this was a one-sided boxing match.
‘In many ways it was, but it was deliberately designed that way to achieve the goal of winning the Champions League and it was inches away. It was within touching distance.”
PSG won the first psychological blow of the penalty shoot-out with a penalty shoot-out played in front of their fans at the Budapest Puskas Arena.
The night after Gabriel, arguably Arsenal’s best player, put his body on the line to keep PSG at bay for 120 minutes, he responded by lifting his shirt over his face as teammates tried to console the suffering defender.
Arsenal had entered dreamland just 302 seconds later when Havertz confirmed Mikel Arteta’s decision to select him ahead of major summer signing Viktor Gyokeres.
There was more than a stroke of luck when the ball broke for Havertz after Marquinhos’ attempt to clear the ball hit Leandro Trossard’s left shoulder.
But Havertz’s masterful finish had no luck. Havertz, who led Chelsea to Champions League victory over Manchester City five years and a day ago, played on the big stage, scoring three decisive strikes with his left foot before sending his fourth into the goal.
Arsenal were on the rise and history was on their side, or so they thought. The previous 11 teams that were leaders in the final went on to lift the cup.
Gabriel missed and then started congratulating PSG players close to him
David Raya came close to becoming Arsenal’s hero but his night ended in tears
Arsenal players had to watch their PSG rivals march to claim the trophy in Budapest
After Havertz’s opening strike – little did Arsenal know at that stage that it would be his only shot on target – the game became a game of defense versus attack.
Arsenal were struggling to string together a handful of passes and the 17,000 fans behind Raya’s goal were cheering on every strike.
PSG’s superiority was reflected in the second half, and by the end of the match, Arsenal’s resistance finally collapsed.
Makeshift right-back Cristhian Camira found himself on the wrong side of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, and after crossing the back of PSG’s brilliant winger, German referee Daniel Siebert did not hesitate to point to the spot. Dembele made no mistake from 12 yards and Camira escaped the second caution.
Arsenal fans burst into tears after Gabriel missed crucial penalty in Budapest
Fans gathered outside Emirates Stadium upset by dramatic ending
It felt like history was repeating itself for Arsenal, who saw Barcelona score two late goals in their only visit to the Champions League final in 2006.
Arsene Wenger, who took them there, was watching thoughtfully from the stands.
Wenger’s team could not take the final to extra time. Here they did – just. However, no goal came and they eventually faced the pain of penalties.
But for PSG it was euphoria. “We are very proud, very happy and grateful,” their winger Desire Doue told TNT Sports. ‘It was a difficult match against a good team.
‘We have to enjoy it as a team and as a family because we deserve it. Look at the crowd! ‘I thank my Lord and savior Jesus Christ for this was my prayer.’
London’s beer gardens are packed as fans gather around the big screens at Boxpark
Thousands traveled to Budapest without tickets and watched from fan parks and bars
