Key Points
- Arsenal were beaten by Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final on penalties after a 1-1 draw in Budapest.
- Eberechi Eze and Gabriel Magalhaes missed in the shootout, while Arsenal failed to convert two crucial penalties.
- Noni Madueke faced criticism after not taking one of Arsenal’s five penalties despite coming on as a second-half substitute.
- Madueke responded on Instagram with a post celebrating Arsenal’s Premier League title, writing: “Champions! Whilst others are tweeting and posting. Thank you God. The glory is yours!”
- Declan Rice echoed that reaction in the comments, saying: “Jealously everywhere,” alongside laughing emojis.
- Rice also publicly defended Gabriel and Eberechi Eze after the final defeat, saying Arsenal win and lose together.
Tottenham (North London News) June 1, 2026 – Arsenal’s Champions League final defeat to Paris Saint-Germain triggered a wave of discussion after the Gunners lost on penalties following a 1-1 draw in Budapest. As reported by unnamed match reporters across the coverage cited, Arsenal were undone by missed spot-kicks from Eberechi Eze and Gabriel Magalhaes, while PSG held their nerve to secure the trophy.
The match itself developed into a tense final after Arsenal led early and PSG levelled through a second-half penalty from Ousmane Dembélé, before the game went to a shootout. ESPN’s coverage of the match described a contest in which Arsenal could not make their advantage count, and BBC reporting noted that PSG ultimately won the shootout after Arsenal failed from the spot.
Why was Noni Madueke criticised after the final?
Noni Madueke came on as a second-half substitute but was not among Arsenal’s five penalty takers, unlike Gabriel Magalhaes, and that decision drew criticism online. football.london reported that the backlash focused on Madueke’s failure to step forward during the shootout, with some supporters questioning why he did not take a penalty in such a decisive moment.
According to the same report, Madueke answered the criticism with a pointed Instagram message after Arsenal’s Premier League victory parade through north London. He posted a photo with Declan Rice and wrote:
“Champions! Whilst others are tweeting and posting. Thank you God. The glory is yours!”
What did Declan Rice say in response?
Declan Rice backed his teammate in the comments beneath Madueke’s post, replying: “Jealously everywhere,” with laughing emojis.
football.london said that Rice’s response was a direct pushback against those criticising Madueke for not taking a penalty in the final.
Rice had already taken a public stand in defence of Arsenal’s penalty missers after the final itself. World Soccer Talk reported that he said:
“We love them and we are with them,”
and added that Arsenal
“win together and we lose together,”
stressing that Gabriel and Eberechi Eze would not be defined by one shootout.
What happened with Eberechi Eze and Gabriel Magalhaes?
Eberechi Eze missed Arsenal’s second penalty, while Gabriel Magalhaes later sent his effort over the crossbar, effectively ending the club’s hopes in the final.
BBC coverage stated that Arsenal’s missed penalties proved costly in the shootout, while World Soccer Talk described Gabriel’s miss as the decisive moment that confirmed PSG’s victory.
The Guardian-style reaction in the wider coverage focused on how painful the defeat was for Arsenal after they had come so close to a European title, with the missed penalties becoming the central talking point after the final whistle.
The result also handed PSG a second consecutive Champions League crown, underlining the narrow margin in a match that stayed competitive until the end.
What does this mean for Arsenal?
The immediate effect is that Arsenal’s celebrations over their Premier League title have been tempered by the disappointment of missing out on the Champions League.
The club’s season still delivered major success domestically, but the final defeat ensured that the night in Budapest became the dominant storyline.
For Madueke and Rice, the episode shows how quickly social media criticism can follow a high-profile defeat, especially when players are visible in a decisive moment such as a penalty shootout.
The responses from both players suggest they wanted to shift the focus away from blame and towards the team’s overall season.
Background to the development
Arsenal reached the Champions League final after a strong run in Europe and entered the match against PSG seeking their first continental title.
The final ended in heartbreak, however, as penalties decided the contest after both sides could not be separated in normal and extra time.
The reaction involving Madueke also followed Arsenal’s Premier League victory parade, during which the club celebrated winning the title in north London.
That timing mattered because the criticism came not just from the final itself, but from the contrast between celebration in one competition and disappointment in another.
What is the likely impact on supporters?
For Arsenal supporters, the defeat may remain painful for some time because it came so close to a Champions League triumph.
The missed penalties by Eze and Gabriel, plus the debate over who did or did not step up, are likely to remain points of discussion among fans and pundits.
In the short term, the players’ public responses may help reduce tension around the defeat by framing it as a collective setback rather than an individual failure. For the wider audience, especially followers of Arsenal and Premier League football, the story is likely to feed continued debate about leadership, penalty order, and how teams handle pressure in finals.
