Arsenal stars exit Budapest hotel after PSG shootout loss

Arsenal exit – Hours after losing the Champions League final to PSG on penalties, Arsenal players were seen leaving their team hotel in Budapest on Sunday morning. Kai Havertz’s early goal was cancelled after a second-half penalty, and the shootout ended Arsenal’s hopes as E

Arsenal’s heartbroken stars trudged out of their hotel in Budapest on Sunday morning, the day after a brutal Champions League final defeat by PSG.

The Gunners were beaten on penalties after Eberechi Eze and Gabriel both missed the target. Gabriel’s effort—blazed over the bar—arrived at the moment the shootout mattered most, and the Brazilian looked down as he headed towards the team bus taking the squad to the airport in Hungary.

Eze, by contrast, carried a steadier look outside the team hotel. The Englishman gave a peace sign to the cameras before joining the rest of the group on their way to the bus. Defeated manager Mikel Arteta, dressed all in black, was also captured wheeling his suitcase toward the transport.

Martin Odegaard, David Raya, Mikel Merino and Leandro Trossard were among those pictured with subdued faces as they left the hotel behind.

For Arsenal, the emotional whiplash is hard to miss. No doubt spirits will rise when they return to England and begin the celebrations at their parade later in the afternoon. The parade starts at 2pm. with both the men’s and women’s teams taking part—marked by a bus route described as a five-mile loop around Islington in north London to celebrate Arsenal’s Premier League triumph for the men and the FIFA Women’s Champions Cup for the women.

But in Budapest, it wasn’t a historic double. Luis Enrique’s PSG found a way through Arsenal’s defence and into another final victory.

Arsenal had made the perfect start at Puskas Arena, with Kai Havertz smashing home just six minutes into the final. The English side then restricted PSG to hardly any chances of note, only for the match to change in the second half.

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia drew a foul out of Cristian Mosquera inside the box and Ousmane Dembélé scored the resulting penalty to make it 1-1. PSG carried 75 per cent possession, and Bradley Barcola missed two chances in extra time that could have ended it sooner.

When it came to the shootout, the outcome turned on fine margins. Nuno Mendes had his penalty saved by David Raya, but Eze and Gabriel’s misses proved decisive. Raya made one save in the shootout, yet it was not enough for Arsenal.

Gabriel, the centre-back who has been central to Arsenal’s excellence all season, was given the fifth penalty.

After the game, Arteta explained the decision. He said: “He wanted to take it. Normally the penalty takers would be Bukayo [Saka], Martin [Odegaard] and Kai [Havertz].” He added: “But we knew if the game went to extra-time and penalties, different players would have to step forward.”

Arsenal’s players may be heading home to a Premier League parade, but the weight of this night lingered in Budapest. The Gunners are still yet to win a Champions League title in their history, and the wait continues.

Arsenal PSG Champions League final penalties Eberechi Eze Gabriel Mikel Arteta Kai Havertz Khvicha Kvaratskhelia Ousmane Dembélé David Raya Nuno Mendes Budapest Puskas Arena