Rice sends heartfelt messge to Arsenal teammates Eze & Gabriel after Champions League heartbreak | OneFootball

Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice has backed teammates Eberechi Eze and Gabriel Magalhaes after their painful defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final.

The Gunners came within touching distance of European glory at Budapest’s Puskas Arena on Saturday night, but their dreams were ended in a dramatic penalty shoot-out.

Both sides could not be separated after 120 minutes of an end-to-end battle, with Ousmane Dembele’s second-half penalty cancelling out Kai Havertz’s thunderous opener.

However, PSG ultimately came out on top in a dramatic penalty shootout, claiming a 4-3 win.

Eze and Gabriel stole the headlines in the shoot-out, but for all the wrong reasons. Eze’s effort went wide of the post despite sending the PSG goalkeeper the wrong way.

Gabriel also ballooned his effort over the crossbar in the deciding penalty, crushing the Gunners’ hopes of finally getting their hands on the coveted continental holy grail.

Both players faced criticism after the match for their penalty-taking technique, with pundits questioning the use of stutter steps before striking the ball.

However, Rice was quick to defend his teammates and remind everyone of their importance throughout the season.

“[They are] devastated,” Rice said (via the Standard). “Obviously, to miss a penalty in a Champions League final is not nice.

“We love them, 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. Gabriel – I’ve run out of words for him, as a person and as a player.

“Eze has had some crucial goals for us this season. It happens, it’s football and it’s cruel. But we take positives and we keep going.”