PSG-ARSENAL: "IT WAS CLEARLY A PENALTY IN MY EYES," ARTETA'S AFTER THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL DEFEAT

Beaten by PSG in the Champions League final this Saturday in Budapest (1-1, 4-3 on penalties), Mikel Arteta criticized a decision by referee Daniel Siebert, who did not award a penalty on Madueke.

It was a moment that could have decided the Champions League final between PSG and Arsenal. With the score tied 1-1 in the 102nd minute, Noni Madueke outpaced Nuno Mendes on the right wing before going down in the penalty area. Referee Daniel Siebert waved play on, while on the Gunners' bench, there was utter bewilderment. Furious, Declan Rice and Mikel Arteta were cautioned by the German referee, who was also not called upon by VAR to review the footage.

Ultimately defeated in the penalty shootout, the Gunners were understandably disappointed, even frustrated, according to the Spanish manager, who remained convinced that a penalty should have been awarded in that instance. "We have to start all over again, and the level increases every season. We haven't lost a single match this season, but when things don't go your way... There was the penalty awarded against us (converted by Ousmane Dembélé), and then the one that, in my opinion, wasn't given on (Noni) Madueke. It was clearly a penalty in my eyes," Arteta lamented in the post-match press conference.

Praise for Luis Enrique

"I told my players: even if I were to thank them a thousand times, it wouldn't be enough. (...) First, we have to overcome this pain, then get back up and move on. I want to congratulate PSG, and Luis Enrique in particular, because he is, for me, the best coach in the world. It wasn't the plan to do what we did, but it's also because of Paris," added the Gunners' coach, who can nevertheless be proud of having brought the title to the Premier League, 22 years after the Invincibles.