It was a night that began so brightly for Arsenal.
When Kai Havertz smashed the ball high into the roof of the net over Matvey Safonov inside six minutes, their supporters were in dreamland at the Puskas Arena in Budapest.
And despite dominating possession, PSG were unable to fashion many clear chances for their feared front three of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Ousmane Dembele and Desire Doue, with Arsenal‘s defence largely keeping them under control.
At the heart of that was Gabriel. The defender made more clearances than any other player on the pitch (13) as the Gunners chased the rare feat of a Premier League and Champions League double – achieved only by Manchester United (1999 and 2008) and Manchester City (2023) since 1992.
But after Dembele equalised from the penalty spot, the contest became a must-not-lose affair for both sides, with neither keeper seriously tested as the tension rose in Hungary and the game drifted towards a shootout.
There was an early advantage for PSG when Eberechi Eze stroked his penalty wide after a stuttering run up, but Gunners keeper David Raya responded by saving Nuno Mendes’ effort.
However, after four successful kicks, there would be no reprieve for Gabriel who fired his penalty over the crossbar and into the delirious PSG fans.
“To miss a penalty in a Champions League final, obviously it’s not nice,” Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice said on TNT Sports.
“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 has 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 scored some crucial goals for us this season.
“It happens. It’s football and it’s cruel. We take the positives and keep going.”