Arsenal defender Gabriel has described the Champions League penalty shoot-out defeat against Paris Saint-Germain as “painful” — yet the Brazilian centre-back still found room to celebrate as the Gunners took their Premier League title triumph through the streets of north London on Sunday.
Gabriel Champions League Penalty Miss Haunts Arsenal’s Budapest Night
The final in Budapest ended 1-1 after 90 minutes, with Kai Havertz giving Arsenal an early lead before Ousmane Dembélé levelled from the spot for the French champions. When the shoot-out arrived, both Eberechi Eze and Gabriel stepped up and missed — handing PSG the trophy and denying the Gunners a first Champions League crown in the club’s 140-year history. Gutting doesn’t even cover it.
Taking to Instagram in the aftermath, Gabriel wrote: “It’s painful, but I’m proud of this team and everything we achieved together this season. Thank you to our incredible fans for your support every step of the way. You deserve to celebrate this journey with us and enjoy the parade today! See you next season!” Honest words from a man who will have replayed that penalty a thousand times already. For more on how the dressing room has responded, Declan Rice fired back at the critics targeting Arsenal after the final.
Half a Million Fans Line North London Streets for the Parade
Despite the European heartbreak, the atmosphere along the 5.6-mile parade route was nothing short of electric. Mikel Arteta’s squad departed the Emirates Stadium at 2pm, rolling through north London with around half a million supporters expected to line the streets — many of whom had been camped along the route since the early hours of Sunday morning. That kind of devotion deserves a proper celebration.
Nevertheless, Arteta made clear the European failure will not be filed away quietly. Speaking after the final, the Arsenal manager said: “First of all, you have to go through that pain, digest it and turn it into fuel to improve and to reach a different level. I will take a few days with my family and then I will start the process to review what we’ve done. We will start to make some very important decisions if we want to reach another level. And we’re going to have to show that ambition because we are more than capable of doing it. But it’s going to demand us to be very, very ambitious, very fast and very smart.”
Consequently, the message from the Emirates is clear — the league is won, the pain is real, and next season Arsenal will come back hungrier. Don’t say you weren’t warned.