Arsenal put Champions League defeat behind them with open-top bus parade
PREMIER LEAGUE CHAMPS: Arsenal players celebrate winning the Premier League during an open-top bus parade (Steven Paston/PA).
Arsenal defender Gabriel admitted their Champions League penalty shoot-out defeat was “painful”, but the Gunners quickly put the disappointment behind them as fans attended an open-top bus parade.
Gabriel missed the crucial spot-kick against Paris St Germain as the French champions retained their crown following a 1-1 draw in Budapest.
Yet the Gunners still had plenty to celebrate as they embarked on a parade through the streets of north London to celebrate their Premier League title success.
“It’s painful, but I’m proud of this team and everything we achieved together this season,” Gabriel wrote on Instagram.
“Thank you to our incredible fans for your support every step of the way. You deserve to celebrate this journey with us and enjoy the parade today!
“See you next season!”
Mikel Arteta’s squad left the Emirates Stadium at 2.15pm to begin their 5.6-mile journey around the parade route.
Captain Martin Odegaard was the first player to board the bus, adorned with ‘Champions 25/26’, holding the Premier League trophy.
The Gunners had been hoping for a double celebration by following up their league success with a first Champions League trophy in the club’s 140-year history.
Kai Havertz fired them into an early lead in the Hungarian capital, but PSG equalized through Ousmane Dembele’s penalty, and Eberechi Eze and Gabriel both missed in the shoot-out.
Gabriel and Eze appeared in good spirits on the bus despite the agony of the night before, while Arteta smiled broadly as he waved to the crowds.
Members of the Arsenal staff followed on a second bus, while the women’s team were on a third bus parading the FIFA Champions Cup they won in February.
Fans began arriving along the route in the early hours of Sunday morning, with around half-a-million expected in total.
Arteta’s players had departed their hotel in Budapest a few hours earlier in defeat, with the Arsenal manager vowing to use the setback as “fuel” to carry them to glory next season.
Myles Lewis-Skelly was not even born the last time Arsenal won the title in 2004.
The 19-year-old, who started the Champions League final in midfield, told Sky Sports: “First of all, I’m so proud of the boys.
“I’m proud of the organization in helping us get here because it hasn’t been an easy season.
“But obviously we’ve come to the end of the season and we’re champions of England.
“It’s disappointing because when you’re so close to a dream, a goal, you feel slightly short but as Mikel said, it’s added fuel to the fire, so we’ll use that.
“It means everything, just to share this moment with our people. It’s incredible because it’s a chance to pay them back for all the sacrifices they’ve helped us through.
“Just sharing this moment together will be special. I’m going to see my family here as well. It’s going to be emotional, so I’m so excited.
“The last two weeks have been incredible. Just sharing those moments with the team, the people that you love dearly, that you go to war with. It’s amazing.
“For me, (the future) is bright. I feel like it’s the start of a new era and I feel like we’re ready to go and achieve our dreams.
“(Arteta) has been so supportive of me over my whole journey, so I’m just so grateful for him and the trust he’s given me.”
Asked for a message for the fans, Lewis-Skelly added: “Thank you, and we’re not done!”
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