Gabriel makes Arsenal penalty promise after Champions League final heartbreak

Gabriel makes Arsenal penalty promise after Champions League final heartbreak

Brazilian had to be consoled after missing decisive penalty in last season’s Champions League final
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Gabriel has insisted he would step up and take another penalty in a shootout for Arsenal, despite his decisive miss in last season's Champions League final.

With Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz all off the pitch, Arsenal were unable to turn to the majority of their usual penalty takers.

David Raya saved from Nuno Mendes to cancel out Eberechi Eze's miss, but Gabriel could not hit the target to extend the shootout.

"In the final anything can happen, and we did really well," Gabriel said, ahead of Arsenal's Champions League match at home to Lille on Tuesday night.

"Of course, if I have another penalty, I will be there to take it. And my team-mates helped me a lot after this.

"Of course, I was sad, and I didn’t want to miss a penalty, but I have learned from this and if I have another opportunity, I will be ready to take it."

BUDAPEST, HUNGARY - MAY 30: Gabriel of Arsenal looks dejected after missing the team's fifth penalty in the penalty shoot out, which results in victory for Paris Saint-Germain, during the UEFA Champions League Final 2026 match between Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal FC at Puskas Arena on May 30, 2026 in Budapest, Hungary. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

While almost all of the PSG players sprinted past Gabriel in celebration, Marquinhos stopped to console his international team-mate.

The PSG captain revealed after the match that his mind had gone back to the 2022 World Cup, when his missed penalty in a shootout against Croatia knocked Brazil out of the World Cup.

Asked about Marquinhos comforting him on the pitch in Budapest, Gabriel said: “It was brilliant for him to come to me.

“Of course, he missed a penalty in a World Cup and he has experience from this moment.

“He said some words to me, and helped me a lot, and after this I spoke with him and I said ‘thank you’ because in this moment it was really difficult.

“I learned a lot from him, too, so I say ‘thank you’ to him, because it was a difficult moment for me.”

Original source Gabriel makes Arsenal penalty promise after Champions League final heartbreak

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