Arsenal fans respond to Gabriel penalty miss with incredible gesture

Missing a decisive penalty in a Champions League final often leaves scars. For Gabriel Magalhães, however, the days after Arsenal’s painful defeat to PSG brought something completely different.

The Brazilian defender missed one of Arsenal’s penalties in the shootout defeat that denied the club its first European crown, leaving him visibly devastated after the final whistle. Gabriel’s miss proved especially painful because he was the final Arsenal player to step forward, with PSG players celebrating immediately after his attempt failed.

Supporters in north London could easily have reacted differently.

Instead, they embraced him.

According to reports from England, sales of Gabriel shirts exploded after the final, increasing by around 350 percent compared to normal levels. Last weekend, no Arsenal player came close to matching his numbers, with Gabriel shirts comfortably becoming the biggest seller at club stores.

The reaction says a lot about how supporters currently view the defender. Since arriving from Lille in 2020, Gabriel has become one of the foundations of Mikel Arteta’s project, helping Arsenal return to the top of English football.

This season alone gave supporters plenty to celebrate despite the difficult ending. Arsenal lifted the Premier League title for the first time since 2004 and reached the Champions League final, where only penalties separated them from European glory.

Gabriel’s contribution across the years also explains why supporters quickly moved to defend him. The 28-year-old has already made 261 appearances for Arsenal, scoring 24 goals and adding 10 assists, impressive numbers for a central defender.

Now the focus shifts away from club football.

Gabriel joins the Brazil national team for the upcoming World Cup, where Brazil will face Scotland, Morocco and Haiti during the group stage.

One missed penalty hurt.

Judging by the reaction from Arsenal supporters, it changed nothing.