Declan Rice backs Gabriel and Eberechi Eze after Champions League final misses

Declan Rice stood up for Gabriel Magalhaes and Eberechi Eze after their penalty heartbreak in Arsenal's Champions League final defeat to Paris Saint-Germain, saying the pair remain vital to the club's future. The match finished as a 4-3 shootout loss after Eze missed his effort and Gabriel smashed the decisive penalty over the crossbar.

"Devastated. Missing a penalty in a Champions League final isn't nice. But we love them. Look, that happens in football. They aren't going to be the last players to miss a penalty in finals. Everyone has missed a penalty. Without them two this season, we wouldn't have won the Premier League.

It's cruel, but we take the positives," Rice said. Reflecting on a gruelling 63-game campaign, he urged perspective. "It's devastating to lose a Champions League final on penalties," Rice admitted. "We tried to take a lot of perspective in how far we've come as a group.

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