๐ฃ๏ธ Garry Neville: โThe influence Arsenal players are having at this World Cup is incredible.
Just look at Englandโs latest performance: Noni Madueke wins the penalty that leads to Harry Kaneโs opener, Declan Rice delivers the corner for another goal, and Bukayo Saka comes off the bench to set up Marcus Rashford and wrap up the victory.
When your players keep deciding matches on the biggest stage, itโs hard not to argue that Arsenal are among the very best teams in world football right now.โ ๐ดโช๏ธ๐
๐จ Wayne Rooney on Declan Rice's set-pieces that inspired England's 4-2 victory:
๐ฃ๏ธ โFor the whole of last season, people mocked Arsenal's set-pieces. They called them boring, said they were ruining football and claimed they could never win the biggest trophies playing that way.
Now look at England.
Declan Rice is delivering those same quality dead balls and they've played a huge part in a 4-2 win.
I've watched this World Cup closely and one thing stands out: Arsenal players have consistently produced dangerous set-pieces, with several leading directly to goals.
Maybe the issue was never the set-pieces.
Maybe people were simply frustrated because their own teams didn't have players capable of executing them at that level.
Football fans love effective set-pieces when they're winning games. They only complain when someone else is better at them.โ
Arsenal players in the World Cup
- Gyokeres 1 goal
- Havertz 2 goals
- Odegaard 1 assist
- Declan Rice 1 assist
- Bukayo Saka 1 assist
My boys are really running the show ๐๐
๐จ BREAKING: UEFA have reportedly approved a special Golden Champions League trophy for Arsenal after their unbeaten run in the competition last season.
The announcement was made by the UEFA President during the First Qualifying Round draw in Nyon, Switzerland. The award would be the first of its kind in football history.
Arsenal continue to make history. ๐ณ๐
Harambee Stars were temporarily stranded upon arrival in Pretoria, South Africa, after finding their initial accommodation unsuitable for a national team. Players refused to check in and demanded better lodging.
A payment dispute later emerged between Football Kenya Federation officials and the new hotel, leaving the squad waiting idly in the lobby for over three hours. No official statement has been issued.
Shirt sales for Gabriel increased by 350 PER CENT after his penalty miss vs PSG. He became the top-selling name on Arsenal shirts over the weekend. ๐
An insane show of support from the Gunners fans. ๐โค๏ธ
๐จ Mesut รzil Slams Referee After Arsenal's Controversial Champions League Final Defeat
๐ฃ๏ธ: "I have watched football for many years, and I understand that referees can make mistakes. Nobody expects perfection. But tonight, it genuinely felt like Arsenal were fighting against more than just PSG.
The incident involving Madueke was a clear penalty for me. In any other game, anywhere else on the pitch, that contact is given as a foul immediately. I struggle to understand how the referee saw it and decided there was nothing there. Even more surprising was the lack of intervention. Moments like that can completely change a final.
What frustrated me most was the consistency. Every important decision seemed to go against Arsenal. Small fouls were given one way but not the other. Challenges that deserved bookings were ignored. Every 50-50 call appeared to favour PSG. As a player, that is incredibly difficult because you begin to feel that no matter what you do, the decisions are not going your way.
A Champions League final should be decided by the players, the coaches and the football itself, not by controversial refereeing decisions. Arsenal may not have played their best game, but they still deserved a fair opportunity to compete. When such a clear penalty is not awarded, people are always going to ask questions.
I feel sorry for the players because they worked all season to reach this stage. You can accept losing when the better team wins fairly, but it is much harder to accept when major decisions leave a cloud over the result. For me, Arsenal deserved that penalty on Madueke, and they deserved much better from the officials tonight."
๐จ๐๏ธWayne Rooney: โArsenal have been robbed tonightโ ๐คฏ
Rooney ๐ฃ๏ธ โIโll be completely honest, Arsenal were absolutely robbed tonight, there is no other way to put it. You look at that foul on Noni Madueke in the box; itโs a stonewall, 100% clear penalty. How the referee or VAR hasn't given that is beyond me, and it completely changes the dynamic of a Champions League final.
But for me, the moment that truly gave it away the moment you knew exactly what the referee was doing was that halftime whistle. To blow the whistle right as Arsenal are literally standing there about to take a corner? Iโve played this game a long time, and you rarely see that unless thereโs a blatant bias. It was shocking, and it set the tone for everything that followed.
In the second half, it became a totally different game, and not because of the football. The referee made absolutely sure that every single 50/50 call, every little nudge, and every major decision went straight to PSG. It completely killed Arsenalโs momentum. But to be fair, Iโm not even surprised. We saw the exact same story when they played Bayern Munich earlier in the tournament. The officiating was heavily skewed then, and itโs happened again on the biggest stage.
PSG might be lifting the trophy, but they cannot honestly look at themselves in the mirror and be proud of the way theyโve won this final. To win the biggest prize in club football like that? It leaves a horrible taste. Arsenal deserved so much more tonight.โ