Arsenal defender Gabriel found out the hardest way possible that football is a truly cruel sport.
The Brazilian turned in a man-of-the-match display for the Gunners against Paris Saint-Germain, only for his missed penalty to decide the Champions League final.
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Taking Arsenal’s fifth penalty and needing to convert, Gabriel blazed his effort over the bar to spark delirium among the traveling Parisians in Budapest.
A defeat on penalties for Arsenal was the most heartbreaking conclusion possible, especially since they led for nearly an hour following Kai Havertz’s early opener.
Although the Gunners’ resistance largely held firm, they were undone when Cristhian Mosquera brought down Kvicha Kvaratskhelia inside the box, allowing Ousmane Dembele to equalise from the spot.
Despite late chances falling for both teams during regular and extra time, a decisive goal could not be found, forcing the contest to the nerve-jangling experience that is a penalty shootout.
And it was Luis Enrique’s side who ultimately prevailed, securing a result that some may argue was justified given they had the lion’s share of possession and shots attempted.
Stuart Pearce’s verdict on Arsenal’s loss
As for Arsenal, eSPORTY’s Stuart Pearce felt their game plan may have been hampered by Havertz’s fifth-minute strike.
“They’ve been exemplary in the Champions League this year, Arsenal,” Pearce said.
“They’ve come in to this game, we didn’t think there’d be many goals in it, and there was only two goals in it.
“Maybe from Arsenal’s perspective, as ridiculous as it sounds, they scored too early in the game. They had to hang on and it put them on the back foot slightly.
“But I think the game would have panned out as it did with PSG dominating possession of the ball.”
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With Pearce’s verdict in, here’s how eSPORTY.com rated EVERY Arsenal player who featured in the Champions League final.
We start at the back, where David Raya was mostly a passenger despite PSG boasting the lion’s share of possession.
The Spaniard made the occasional intervention as most of PSG’s shots flew over or wide of his goal, but he saved his best for late in the second half as he came flying out to deny Bradley Barcola, who was through one-on-one.
Raya also saved Nuno Mendes’ penalty in the shoot-out.
Gabriel was outstanding
Aiding Raya’s lack of work was the remarkable work of centre-back Gabriel.
The 28-year-old showed his class in the first-half when he made a crucial intervention to get to the ball just when it seemed Kvaratskhelia would fire off a shot inside the box.
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Whether it was a headed clearance, a crunching block or just being an assured presence, Gabriel delivered a performance for the ages.
However, his display will forever be overshadowed by his missed penalty.
Despite the unfortunate ending, Pearce remained full of praise for the Brazilian.
“If it wasn’t for Gabriel, they might not have been in the Champions League final in the first place,” Pearce said.
“And they might not have made it to penalties. He was that good. He’s my man of the match.”
Gabriel’s centre-back partner William Saliba was equally impressive, although he didn’t deliver quite as many headline moments.
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The Frenchman was composed in possession and picked the right moments to drive the ball up the field, showcasing his full range.
Cristhian Mosquera had the almighty task of stopping Kvaratskhelia, something which even the best of right-backs in Europe have struggled to do.
For most of the night, it looked like the 21-year-old had stood up to the challenge as he made three tackles, per Opta.
But Mosquera gifted PSG a route back into the contest when he clumsily brought down Kvaratskhelia inside the box just beyond the hour mark, with Ousmane Dembele dispatching the resulting penalty.
The Spaniard was taken off immediately after Dembele’s goal.
Piero Hincapie was also dependable at left-back, although he did have a shaky moment late in the first half when he cleared the ball as far as Fabian Ruiz, who steered his header from inside the box out for a goal kick.
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He struggled late in the contest as the physical toll got to him.
One-man midfield band as Rice steps up
In midfield, it was a brilliant combined effort from Declan Rice, Myles Lewis-Skelly and Martin Odegaard on the defensive front.
The trio weren’t on the ball as much as they may have liked due to the game state, but their collective work in the middle constantly forced PSG to the flanks, where they struggled to make inroads.
Rice also finished with four tackles, per Opta, which was the most among all Arsenal players.
He also converted his penalty in the shootout to cap off a respectable display.
Offensively, it was a far bleaker picture for the midfielders.
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Combined, the trio completed 49 passes.
For comparison, PSG winger Desire Doue completed 50 passes.
Alarming Saka reality laid bare
Arsenal’s blockade at the back was also given significant boosts from wingers Bukayo Saka and Leandro Trossard.
Saka and Trossard tirelessly tracked back to help Hincapie and Mosquera, who aren’t natural full backs.
However, it was a poor showing from both when going forward, especially from Saka, who completed eight passes according to Opta and failed to create any big chances.
Saka and Trossard both came off in the 83rd minute.
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Up top, Havertz made his first chance count to put Arsenal ahead and even had an opportunity to score again late in the first half but had his shot blocked.
The German did his utmost to make every long ball stick, yet he constantly found himself isolated with his teammates rarely in close proximity.
Havertz exited the contest at the start of extra time.
Gyokeres left Pearce ‘so disappointed’
Despite being more of a physical presence than Havertz, Viktor Gyokeres struggled to impose himself on the contest.
eSPORTY commentator Stuart Pearce was especially critical of the Swede’s work.
“I’ve been so disappointed with Gyokeres since he’s come on,” Pearce said.
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“He hasn’t held anything up.”
Despite a poor display in regular and extra time, Gyokeres scored his penalty in the shootout.
Jurrien Timber, who recovered from injury to be on the bench, provided plenty of bite at right-back in place of Mosquera and had some solid touches further up the field.
However, the same couldn’t be said of Gabriel Martinelli, who coughed the ball up in dangerous positions on a number of occasions.
He did manage to score in the shootout though.
Noni Madueke, who slotted in on the right wing, had plenty of tidy touches and even sparked a serious penalty shout when he was brought down inside the box by Nuno Mendes, although it was waved away.
Extra time substitutes Eberechi Eze and Martin Zubimendi kept things ticking along but didn’t offer much threat during the final 30 minutes.
Sadly for Eze, he played his part in the defeat having fired his penalty attempt wide of the post.
eSPORTY.com’s Arsenal Player Ratings
David Raya – 6.5
Piero Hincapie – 5.5
Gabriel – 8
William Saliba – 7
Cristhian Mosquera – 5
Declan Rice – 7
Myles Lewis-Skelly – 5
Martin Odegaard – 5
Leandro Trossard – 4.5
Bukayo Saka – 4.5
Kai Havertz – 6.5
Jurrien Timber – 5.5
Viktor Gyokeres – 3.5
Gabriel Martinelli – 4
Noni Madueke – 5.5
Eberechi Eze – 3
Martin Zubimendi – 4.5
