Marquinhos showed sportsmanship after Arsenal lost the Champions League final, consoling Gabriel, whose missed penalty decided the shootout against PSG.
Gabriel had been excellent throughout the season, helping Arsenal reach the final and win the Premier League title, remaining a key player trusted by the squad.
He also took responsibility as leader and stepped up for the decisive penalty, aiming to keep Arsenal alive in the shootout.
Marquinhos shows sportsmanship after final
Marquinhos went to Gabriel immediately after the miss instead of celebrating with PSG, showing empathy and respect in an emotional moment.
His decision to comfort Gabriel rather than immediately celebrate with teammates was widely viewed as a sign of respect in a high-pressure environment.
The gesture highlighted shared experiences of pressure in football, with penalty misses carrying heavy emotional burden for players.
Marquinhos reflects on penalty experience
Marquinhos reflected on the moment, speaking as reported by TNT, saying:
“When that moment happened, the first thing I thought of was the time I missed the penalty in the World Cup [quarter-final shootout defeat to Croatia],”
“I know how difficult that moment is for a player; it’s a weight that really falls on your shoulders. There’s no way around it; it’s our responsibility, it’s our moment there.”
The comments underlined the emotional difficulty of penalty shootouts and the shared understanding among professionals who have experienced similar moments.
It also reinforced Marquinhos’ gesture as one of respect and empathy, highlighting the human side of high-pressure European competition.
Such moments often resonate beyond the result itself, shaping perceptions of leadership and character within elite football.
For Arsenal, the incident will be remembered as part of a closely contested final defined by fine margins and emotional swings.
Such exchanges contribute to respect within the modern game.
Overall, the incident reflected mutual respect.
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Pure class from a team mate of Brazil, that sums up what sport is about.
If only some of our own fans had the same respect and understood he didn’t miss on purpose 🤔
The same goes for Raya during the penalty shoot out!!
👍Ken 1945
Ken1945,
Regards Raya, my thoughts on his performance was the penalty shoot-out alone.
Don’t get me wrong, penalty’s are not easy for a keeper. But to at least to give himself a chance he needs to not commit so early. 5 of those 6 penalty’s he faced he made the takers mind up for him.
That’s all I am saying.
Regards Gabriel and Eze, no complaints from me for having the minerals to take a penalty. Although I will say I was less than impressed with Eze’s stop and start routine. I don’t like seeing any player do that, and to some extent when said player misses when doing those kinds of penalty’s, its some what poetic justice.
deep inside he was praying for Maghales to miss it. After the incident everyone is good benevolent. i don’t believe marquinhos
Ambachew,
Why so suspicious. Of course he was hoping he missed it, but having done so and he himself having experienced what Gabriel was going through thought it the right thing to do and console his fellow professional.
A class act, and should be commended not doubted.
what don’t you believe ?
he never says he doesn’t want him to miss
and of course he wanted him to miss as he wants to win the trophy