Mikel Arteta has revealed that Arsenal defender Gabriel not only volunteered to take a penalty in the Champions League final but specifically asked to take the decisive fifth spot-kick. The Gunners fell to Paris Saint-Germain in a penalty shootout in Budapest, with Gabriel's miss proving costly.
Arteta explains penalty decision
Speaking in his post-match press conference, Arteta said: 'He wanted to take number five. We have trained and prepared for this moment. Normally the penalty-takers would be Bukayo [Saka], Martin [Odegaard] and Kai [Havertz] for sure. We knew it would be different players if we went to penalties but we still backed the players and their quality because in training they don't miss any. But then you have to do it in the moment and we didn't have the same precision as PSG had.'
Declan Rice's reaction
Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice also fronted up after the heartbreaking defeat. 'It's gutting, it's devastating to lose a Champions League final on penalties,' the England star told TNT Sports. 'Trying to take perspective on how far we've come as a group. Incredible season, gave it absolutely everything, we took the game to penalties. It's a lottery, it's football. You can either win or lose on penalties. Some of the best teams ever have lost on penalties and we were on the receiving end of that tonight. We win together, we lose together, I'm so proud of these boys. I can't speak highly enough of everyone. I'm obviously gutted but I'm trying to take perspective. It's been an incredible journey this season. We will be back.'
