Declan Rice reveals emotional Mikel Arteta message to Arsenal stars after Champions League final loss | OneFootball

Gunners boss ‘gutted’ after penalty shootout heartbreak against PSG in Budapest

The Gunners were edged out 4-3 on penalties by holders Paris Saint-Germain in Saturday night’s tense showpiece fixture in Budapest that went all the way to a shootout following a 1-1 draw after extra time.

Centre-back Gabriel had to score to force sudden death, but blazed the decisive spot-kick over the crossbar as Premier League champions Arsenal were denied a first-ever European Cup triumph and famous trophy double, while PSG became only the second team in the Champions League era to win back-to-back titles - and first since Real Madrid in 2018.

Substitute Eberechi Eze had earlier pulled his penalty wide to hand PSG the initiative, only for David Raya to then save from Nuno Mendes to help restore parity.

The game had ended 1-1 after a sixth-minute goal from Kai Havertz for Arsenal was cancelled out five minutes after the hour by Ousmane Dembele, who sent Raya the wrong way from the spot after Cristhian Mosquera had fouled Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.

The defeat comes 20 years after Arsenal lost their only other Champions League final appearance after also taking the lead, against Barcelona in Paris in 2006 under Arsene Wenger,

Asked what manager Arteta had said to the Arsenal players in the dressing room after a gut-wrenching loss at the Puskas Arena, midfielder Declan Rice told TNT Sports: “He’s gutted.

So close: Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal almost pulled off a famous Premier League and Champions League double

Getty

“We’re all gutted. It’s a Champions League final. The emotions and the stakes are so high. It’s cruel, that’s football.

“He just spoke about how much he loves us as a group and this season what we’ve done in terms of how we’ve been every single game, 100 per cent, given absolutely everything.

“With everything that’s been thrown at us, I think we’ve come really far as a group this year. This is only the start for this group again.

“We got over the line in the Premier League, which was a dream come true. This would have been one step further, but it wasn’t meant to be. We keep building.

“Since I came to the club, it was a quarter-final exit, semi-final, and now a final. We keep going, we keep staying positive. That’s one thing about this group, this isn’t going to define us.”