Marquinhos shares what he said to Gabriel after the Arsenal star missed the penalty.
Paris Saint-Germain defender Marquinhos shared what he said to Arsenal’s Gabriel Magalhaes after the defender missed a crucial penalty in the Champions League final.
PSG made history as only the second team, after Real Madrid, to win the Champions League two years in a row. They beat Arsenal 4-3 in the penalty shootout after the match ended 1-1 following extra time.
Arsenal took the lead early with Kai Havertz scoring, but PSG’s Ousmane Dembele leveled the game from the penalty spot late in the match. Despite PSG controlling much of the game, they couldn’t score again before it went to penalties.
In the shootout, Arsenal’s Eberechi Eze missed first, and their keeper David Raya also saved a PSG penalty from Nuno Mendes. Declan Rice and Gabriel Martinelli scored for Arsenal, but after another miss from Mendes, PSG scored every penalty. That left Gabriel Magalhaes to take the last kick for Arsenal. Sadly, his shot went wide, giving PSG the title.
After the miss, instead of celebrating wildly, PSG captain Marquinhos went over to comfort Gabriel. The two are teammates with Brazil and will soon be together at the World Cup. Marquinhos hugged Gabriel and quietly shared some kind words.
Later, Marquinhos explained: “When he missed the penalty, I remembered how I felt when I missed for Brazil in the last World Cup against Croatia. I know how tough and heavy that moment can be.”
He added, “It was a huge moment for Gabriel, carrying all that pressure. I wanted to take a moment away from celebrating to support him. I told him I’ve been through that pain and that he can come back stronger.”
Marquinhos also praised Gabriel’s amazing season with Arsenal, saying he’s one of the world’s best defenders and didn’t deserve to feel that weight from one missed penalty.
“In Brazil, we need him for the World Cup,” Marquinhos said. “I wanted to show him how much we value him and to congratulate him for everything he’s done this season.”