Arsenal's 2025-2026 Champions League campaign concluded in disappointment on 30/5 at Puskas Stadium in Budapest. Mikel Arteta's squad lost to defending champions PSG in a penalty shootout, after Eberechi Eze and Gabriel Magalhaes missed their kicks.

This result meant Arsenal missed the chance to win their first Champions League title, despite having already secured the Premier League championship. Immediately after Gabriel missed the decisive penalty, several of Arsenal's rivals on social media began to mock them.

Minutes after the match, Chelsea posted a link promoting their stadium tour with the caption: "Come visit the home of trophies in London". The accompanying image featured the Champions League trophy, a competition Chelsea won in 2012 and 2021.

Chelsea posted content perceived as mocking Arsenal, immediately after full-time. *Screenshot*

Soon after, striker Erling Haaland also posted a photo of himself smiling and relaxing in the sun with friends. While he did not mention Arsenal directly, the timing of the post led many to interpret it as a jab at the team that had just suffered defeat in Hungary.

Haaland has a history of tension with Gabriel. The two players have clashed numerous times during matches between Arsenal and Man City. In 2024, Haaland threw a ball at the Brazilian center-back's head during a game. Then in april this year, during Man City's 2-1 victory over Arsenal, they exchanged words again, and Gabriel nearly received a red card after a confrontation.

Haaland's post also sparked debate on social media. Some Arsenal fans retorted that their team had at least won the Premier League, while Man City had faltered in the race. "@xDaveAFC wrote, "At least we are still the reigning Premier League champions".

Haaland posted a smiling photo immediately after Arsenal's Champions League final defeat. *Screenshot*

Tottenham players also seized the opportunity. Defender Djed Spence resurrected an old Arsenal post from february. At that time, Arsenal's official account had posted a video showing Bukayo Saka and Cristhian Mosquera dribbling past Spence, with the caption "Locked up". Following Arsenal's Champions League final loss, Spence re-quoted this post with a padlock and eye emoji, implying a response.

His Tottenham teammate, Richarlison, also participated by posting a video of a child laughing loudly on Instagram. Meanwhile, former Tottenham midfielder Jamie O'Hara shared an image of Arsenal legend Thierry Henry smiling, accompanied by the concise phrase: "Bonjour".

Spence's post targeting Arsenal. *Screenshot*

Another English football club, Crystal Palace, also weighed in. Minutes after the final whistle, the team that had just won the UEFA Conference League posted a graphic with the words "European champions", highlighting their continental title this season.

Beyond external taunts, Arsenal also faced unpleasant remarks from opponents. Midfielder Joao Neves, who played the entire match for PSG, stated that the French team deserved to win because they were the only side truly wanting to play football.

"Coming here was the best decision of my life. I love everything about it here. Today we deserved to win, because PSG was the only team that wanted to play football", the Portuguese midfielder said after the match.

Crystal Palace also posted a photo mocking Arsenal. *Screenshot*

This comment stemmed from PSG's dominant performance. Arsenal managed only one shot on target throughout the entire match and controlled possession for less than 25% of the time. Midfielder Bukayo Saka played 83 minutes but completed only four accurate passes.

The defeat became even more bitter given Arteta's confident statement at a club event before the match: "This saturday, we will become European champions".

Despite the loss, Arsenal will return to North London to prepare for a parade celebrating their first Premier League championship in 22 years.

Hoang An compiled