Gabriel's Shock Final Penalty Role Revealed as Rice Rallies Arsenal After PSG Heartbreak

Arsenal's first European Cup dream ended in Budapest as PSG prevailed in a penalty shoot-out, with the Gunners' preparations for the decisive moment now coming under the microscope.

Manager Mikel Arteta has revealed that centre-back Gabriel Magalhaes was always earmarked to step up for the fifth and typically conclusive penalty of the shoot-out—a decision that raised eyebrows given the Brazilian's lack of experience in such circumstances. Speaking after the defeat, Arteta explained that the strategy had been worked on extensively in training, with Gabriel willing and prepared for the moment.

"Gabriel wanted to take the last penalty," Arteta said. "We trained for that moment."

The plan, however, came unstuck when both Gabriel and winger Eberechi Eze failed to find the target with their respective attempts. Goalkeeper David Raya did manage to keep out one of the five penalties he faced, but it proved insufficient as Arsenal fell short in their bid to secure the club's first European title since its inception.

Gabriel's selection for such a pivotal role would ordinarily be considered unconventional. Elite penalty-takers are typically positioned either first or fifth in the order, yet the Gunners' defensive lynchpin had never taken a penalty outside of a shoot-out situation during his professional career—making his assignment to the most pressurised spot all the more audacious.

In the aftermath, midfield captain Declan Rice moved to shield his teammates from the immediate fallout. Both Gabriel and Eze were understandably devastated by their misses, and Rice made a point of publicly reaffirming his faith in them.

"They're devastated to miss a penalty in a Champions League final, obviously it's not nice," Rice acknowledged. "But we love them and we're with them. It happens in football. They're not going to be the last players to miss penalties in finals. Everyone's missed a penalty and without those two this season we wouldn't have won the Premier League, that's for sure."

The midfielder reserved particular praise for Gabriel's contributions throughout the campaign. "Gabriel, I've ran out of words for him as a person as a player," he added. "Eze has had some crucial goals for us this season. It happens, it's football and it's cruel."

Reflecting on the broader context of Arsenal's season—which culminated in their first league title since 2004—Rice attempted to extract perspective from the European disappointment, though the sting of the final loss remained evident.

"Yeah, it's gutting, it's devastating to lose a Champions League final on penalties," he admitted. "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."

He concluded with a note of defiance and unity: "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."