Arsenal’s penalty woes in Champions League final
Mikel Arteta believes Noni Madueke could “easily” have been awarded a spot-kick during Arsenal’s Champions League final defeat to Paris Saint-Germain, reports BritPanorama.
The Arsenal manager revealed he had dedicated 72 hours to analysing penalty decisions from this season’s tournament in preparation for the match in Budapest. “I watched all the penalties in the Champions League this season during the last 72 hours to understand what is a penalty and what’s not, and that can easily be a penalty,” Arteta stated in his post-match press conference. He acknowledged the outcome, saying, “What happened, happened and that’s it. We need to do better, we have to improve and find different margins to get the outcomes that we want.”
The Gunners started strongly in the Hungarian capital, with Kai Havertz scoring just six minutes into the match. However, PSG dominated the game thereafter, achieving 75 percent possession and continuously pressing Arsenal’s defence. Gabriel and William Saliba were compelled to make several crucial interventions as they faced relentless French attacks.
The equaliser for PSG came in the second half when Cristhian Mosquera fouled Khvicha Kvaratskhelia in the box, resulting in a penalty converted by Ousmane Dembélé. PSG nearly sealed the win in normal time with Kvaratskhelia hitting the woodwork and Vitinha threatening from distance.
Arteta introduced fresh legs in attack as fatigue set in among his players. This led to a significant penalty appeal when Madueke collided with Nuno Mendes in the area. Referee Daniel Siebert dismissed the protests, issuing bookings to both Declan Rice and Arteta for their dissent.
After a tense extra time, the match proceeded to penalties. Arsenal’s Eberechi Eze missed his spot-kick, and Gabriel’s decisive effort sailed over the crossbar, giving PSG a 4-3 victory in the shootout. Following the defeat, Martin Ødegaard expressed the team’s commitment to support their fellow players: “It is our job to pick them up now. We know what they have given to this team this season and we wouldn’t be here without them.”
Ødegaard also commended PSG captain Marquinhos for his sportsmanship in comforting Gabriel post-match. “Marquinhos is a gentleman,” he said, acknowledging the emotional difficulty of the moment.
Arteta offered respectful recognition to PSG, calling them “the best team in the world” and attributing the result to their individual quality.
As Arsenal walks away from this bittersweet final, the lingering questions about refereeing decisions hang in the air, a stark reminder of how fine the margins can be in the high-stakes arena of football.
