Declan Rice sends heartfelt messge to Arsenal teammates Eze & Gabriel after Champions League heartbreak

Declan Rice sends heartfelt messge to Arsenal teammates Eze & Gabriel after Champions League heartbreakArsenal midfielder Declan Rice has thrown his weight behind teammates Gabriel Magalhaes and Eberechi Eze after their painful defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final.

>The Gunners came within touching distance of European glory at Budapest’s Puskas Arena on Saturday night, but their dreams were ended in a dramatic penalty shootout.

>Both sides could not be separated after 120 minutes of an end-to-end battle, with Ousmane Dembele’s second-half penalty cancelling out Kai Havertz’s thunderous opener.

>However, PSG ultimately came out on top in a dramatic penalty shootout, claiming a 4-3 win.

>Arsenal duo Eberechi Eze and Gabriel Magalhaes stole the headlines in the shootout, but for all the wrong reasons. Eze’s effort drifted wide of the post despite sending the PSG goalkeeper the wrong way.

>Gabriel also ballooned his effort over the crossbar in the deciding penalty, crushing the Gunners’ hopes of finally getting their hands on the coveted continental holy grail.

>Both Gabriel and Eze faced criticism after the match for their penalty-taking technique, with pundits questioning the use of stutter steps before striking the ball.

>However, Rice was quick to defend his teammates and remind everyone of their importance throughout the season.

>Speaking after the match, the England midfielder admitted the pair were deeply upset by the outcome but insisted they had the full backing of the squad.

>“[They are] devastated,” Rice said (via The Standard). “Obviously to miss a penalty in a Champions League final is not nice.

>“We love them, we’re with them. It happens in football. They’re not going to be the last players to miss penalties in finals.

>“Everyone’s missed a penalty and without those two this season we wouldn’t have won the Premier League, that’s for sure. Gabriel, I’ve ran out of words for him, as a person and as a player.

>“Eze has had some crucial goals for us this season. It happens, it’s football and it’s cruel. But we take positives and we keep going.”

>Despite the disappointment, Arsenal fans can take solace in the fact that they’re Premier League champions and you wouldn’t put it past Mikel Arteta’s troops to pull off the improbable next season.