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Declan Rice has insisted that Arsenal’s agonising Champions League semi-final defeat to Paris Saint-Germain will not “define” the team, vowing that the Gunners will return stronger in their pursuit of silverware.
Arsenal’s dream of reaching the final of Europe’s elite club competition for the first time since 2006 was shattered at the Parc des Princes on Wednesday night. Despite a spirited performance, Mikel Arteta’s side were unable to overturn a 1-0 first-leg deficit, falling to a 2-1 aggregate defeat that ended their European campaign.
The loss added to a growing list of near-misses for Arsenal, who have seen their Premier League title bids falter in back-to-back seasons and have now lost all four of their semi-final ties under Arteta without winning a single leg. It has been five years since the club last lifted major silverware, with Arteta’s only triumph to date being the FA Cup in his first season in 2020, alongside two Community Shield victories.
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Speaking to TNT Sports after the match, Rice expressed his disappointment but maintained that these setbacks would ultimately forge a stronger Arsenal side.
“It’s gutting, such a dominant start,” said the England international. “If we score one of those chances in the first 15 or 20 minutes, the game completely changes. It’s just the small margins in football.
Declan Rice (Image credit: Getty Images)“Two mistakes from us, two goals for them. With the chances we missed, it just felt like it wasn’t meant to be.
“We gave it absolutely everything. This competition is ruthless—you’re either in or you’re out. Over the two legs, we could’ve scored three or four goals, to be honest, but [Gianluigi] Donnarumma was unbelievable. You’ve got to look at the fine margins. It just wasn’t meant to be.
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“In life, sometimes you have to lose a few in order to win,” Declan Rice said. “You have to overcome setbacks to grow mentally as a person, as a player, and as a group.
“We’re in that phase now after a few painful losses—missing out on the league, and now coming close in the Champions League in back-to-back years.
“We’re growing as a team and as individuals, but we need to keep pushing and believing. This is why we play football; setbacks are part of the journey.
“PSG are through tonight and we’re absolutely gutted, but this won’t define us. We’ll be back, and once we get our key players back from injury, we’ll be a much stronger outfit. We’ve got to keep going.”
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