Gabriel Jesus appeared to slap Atletico Madrid defender Marc Pubill in the face as tempers flared after Arsenal's Champions League semi-final victory on Tuesday night. The incident occurred as Pubill aggressively intruded on the Gunners' celebrations following their 1-0 win at the Emirates Stadium.
Match Decisive Moment
Bukayo Saka scored the only goal of the game to send Arsenal through to the final in Budapest, where they will face either Paris Saint-Germain or Bayern Munich. It will be Arsenal's second Champions League final appearance, 20 years after their painful defeat to Barcelona.
Wild celebrations erupted at the final whistle, with Arsenal players soaking up the occasion with fans. However, the mood turned sour when Atletico right-back Pubill shoved Viktor Gyokeres from behind, sparking a furious reaction from Cristhian Mosquera and Jesus.
Confrontation Caught on Camera
Fan footage shows Mosquera trying to shepherd Pubill away from Gyokeres, but Jesus, who had been arm-in-arm with his Swedish teammate, appeared to land a heavy blow on the side of Pubill's face, sending his head spinning backwards. Myles Lewis-Skelly and Declan Rice were seen trying to de-escalate the situation, and Pubill eventually walked off towards the away dressing room.
It remains unclear what triggered Pubill's approach to Gyokeres. Neither manager addressed the incident in post-match press conferences.
Gyokeres Praised
Gyokeres had a torrid time for Atletico's defenders, proving a handful up front in what Mikel Arteta called an 'immense' performance. 'You can see the reaction from the crowd every time he had the ball, his work-rate and what he's giving the team is just incredible,' Arteta told Amazon Prime.
More to follow.
