Mikel Arteta wants Arsenal to use the ‘pain’ of losing the Champions League final to Paris Saint-Germain as ‘fuel’ to fire them up for next season.
The Gunners went into Saturday’s final in Budapest still basking in the glory of their Premier League title, having seen off a late charge by Manchester City to be crowned kings of England.
That momentum flowed into the European final with defending champions PSG, who were stunned when Arsenal striker Kai Havertz smashed home a sixth-minute opener.
Arsenal’s defence then repelled PSG’s attacking waves with ease, until Cristhian Mosquera caught Khvicha Kvaratskhelia on the calf on 65 minutes, giving away a penalty which Ousmane Dembele fired home with a crisp strike.
The game opened up in the final 10 minutes of the game, which remained at 1-1 after extra-time, leading to a penalty shootout.
Costly misses
Gunners goalkeeper David Raya saved one spot-kick from Luis Enrique’s side – but missed penalties from Eberechi Eze and Gabriel proved costly as the Parisians won 4-3 to successfully the trophy they won last season with a 5-0 thrashing of Inter Milan,
Arteta was proud of his players and told TNT Sports: “First of all you have to go through that pain, digest it and turn it into fuel to improve and reach a different level.
“I want to congratulate PSG because in my opinion they are the best team in the world. What they are able to do with the ball, with individual actions, credit to their players.
“I’m so proud of them [Arsenal players]. That we have, under the circumstances that we know internally what we’ve been through.
READ MORE: Liverpool news: Andoni Iraola the firm favourite to replace sacked Arne Slot at Anfield
Learn from the pain
“To manage this group of players, the way they carry this badge. We got to the big one and we missed on the biggest one.
“We haven’t done it for 22 years [win the league] and it is only the second time in our history [we have reached the final].
“We need to recognise the season that we had. Nobody is going to take the pain away from you.
“I think you have to go through the motions. If you are in pain, go through the pain. If you have done something wrong, you have to learn from it.”
Incredible win
PSG boss Enrique hailed his team’s ‘incredible’ achievement, saying: “It’s stronger than last year because we knew before the match just how difficult it would be to play against Arsenal.
“As a club and a city, it’s incredible to win, and I think we deserved it over the course of the season. The final was a real battle.
“This is the best moment of the season. We are still champions, two in a row, it’s amazing.”
PSG striker Goncalo Ramos told TNT Sports: “It’s a dream come true. We have a lot of personalities and we showed we’re ready for everything. Everybody believes in each other.
“I love these type of moments. I’m a striker and I’m always ready to take a penalty. I want to be there in the big moments.”
Really disappointed
Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard says the team will support Gabriel and Eze, telling Sky Sports: “It is our job to pick them up now. We know what they have given to this team this season and we wouldn’t be here without them.
“That is a part of football, that is a part of life, it is our job to pick them – and everyone else – up and make sure we come back even better next season.”
Odegaard added: “Everyone is really disappointed. When you are that close to winning, it is really tough to take.
“At the same time we know what we have done this season and we’ve achieved something incredible and we were so close to doing even better today.
“We wanted to win both the Premier League and the Champions League.
“We are disappointed that we couldn’t do that but the Premier League is a massive achievement.
“So we have to see the bigger picture and remember all the good stuff as well.”
READ NEXT: World Cup 2026 news: Lionel Messi included as Argentina name 26-man squad
Geoffrey H. Latayan 
SportJustSport writers