Liverpool defender explains reaction to Gabriel’s missed penalty
Jeremie Frimpong has clarified why he was seen celebrating after Arsenal lost the Champions League final to Paris Saint-Germain. The Gunners missed the chance to win the tournament for the first time in their 140-year history after losing 4-3 on penalties at the Puskas Arena in Budapest on Saturday night.
The Liverpool player shared a video in which he reacted with joy after Gabriel Magalhaes failed to score a decisive spot-kick. His celebration quickly drew attention, with some Arsenal supporters feeling it was aimed at their team after a painful defeat.
Frimpong later addressed the reaction on Instagram and said his joy was linked to a private bet rather than an attempt to mock Arsenal. He wrote that he and a friend had made a wager, he won it, and that was the reason he was happy, adding laughing and shrugging emojis to the post.
Other players react as Arsenal fall short in Budapest
Frimpong was not the only player whose reaction to Arsenal’s defeat attracted attention. Richarlison continued his online exchange with Gabriel by mocking the defender’s missed penalty on social media, while Erling Haaland also appeared to react to the result.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta spoke after the match about the penalty shootout and explained the order of takers. He said Gabriel wanted to take the fifth penalty and that the team had prepared for such a scenario in training.
Arteta added that Arsenal’s usual penalty options would have included Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz, but changes during the match meant different players had to step up in extra time and the shootout.
According to Arteta, Eberechi Eze had been reliable from the spot in training, but the pressure of the final changed the situation. He said Arsenal lacked the same accuracy and efficiency as PSG, which proved decisive.
Arteta left frustrated by penalty decision in extra time
Arsenal also felt they could have had a penalty of their own during extra time when Noni Madueke went down after a challenge from Nuno Mendes. Referee Daniel Siebert rejected the appeals, and VAR did not intervene.
Arteta and Declan Rice were both booked after protesting the decision. Asked about his feelings after the final, Arteta said the main emotion was pain and admitted it was extremely hard to accept losing the trophy on penalties after such a consistent run to the final.
The Arsenal boss also said he had watched many penalty incidents from the competition in the previous 72 hours to better understand what officials had been awarding. In his view, the challenge on Madueke could easily have been given as a penalty.
Still, Arteta accepted that Arsenal must look at what they can improve. He said the team needs to find better margins in decisive moments if they want to achieve the outcome they are chasing.
