Arsenal supporters were left shocked by Declan Rice’s remarks following their Champions League exit, as the Gunners fell 2-1 (3-1 on aggregate) to PSG on Wednesday, May 7.
Heading into the semi-final second leg, Arsenal trailed by a single goal after losing the first leg at the Emirates. Overcoming the deficit was always going to be a challenge, and that task became even harder when Fabian Ruiz fired home a powerful left-footed volley past David Raya in the 27th minute.
Raya, 29, briefly revived Arsenal’s hopes by stopping Vitinha’s penalty in the second half. However, any momentum was short-lived as Achraf Hakimi curled in PSG’s second goal in the 72nd minute, effectively sealing the French side’s place in the final. Bukayo Saka scored a late consolation for Arsenal with 14 minutes remaining.
PSG, now into the final, will meet Inter in Munich on May 31.
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta reflected on the result after the match, saying, “We were very close, much closer than the scoreline suggests, but sadly we’re out. I’m incredibly proud of the players—honestly, I haven’t seen a better team in the competition. But in the Champions League, it comes down to decisive moments in the penalty areas, and they had the edge in both legs.”
Rice, 26, shared his thoughts with TNT Sports soon after the defeat. “It’s a hard one to take,” he said. “We’ve managed this season without five or six of our top players, so achieving what we have is incredible. Everyone’s been all-in, everyone believed, and it showed. On another night, we could’ve had two or three goals. The way we started, missing our chances while they scored, really hurt. We’ll bounce back—three games to go—and we’re still fighting to finish strong.”
Despite his words, some fans criticized Rice for what they saw as excuse-making.
One fan reacted: “This is just crazy. They’re spinning a story that doesn’t reflect the truth at all.”
Another questioned: “Weren’t they only missing Gabriel and Havertz from their main lineup, or am I missing something?”
A third chimed in: “This kind of excuse-making shows why they won’t get over the line—they’re not taking real accountability.”
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