Declan Rice backs Arsenal over PSG penalty call

Declan Rice is still talking about the non-call that shaped Arsenal's Champions League final against Paris Saint Germain. The Arsenal midfielder said Noni Madueke looked ahead of Nuno Mendes in the first half of extra time, and he compared it with the earlier spot-kick Arsenal won against Bayer Leverkusen.

"I was gutted at the time because I thought the ref would go and have a look," Rice said. He also said the PSG incident was "very, very similar" to the Leverkusen penalty, but added that it was obviously not clear enough to be a penalty on review.

Why Rice keeps pointing back to Leverkusen

Rice's strongest line was the comparison itself. "At first glance, on the pitch, I think he's ahead of Nuno Mendes," he said of Madueke's fall under the challenge. The point matters because it shows where Arsenal's complaint is coming from, not from hindsight after a defeat, but from a moment Rice still thinks should have been checked.

The numbers from the final back up why he was one of the most animated voices afterwards. Rice was Arsenal's top-rated performer with a 7.7 rating, while Madueke's rating was 6.6. Across his last five matches, Rice has averaged 7.56, which fits the picture of a player who came out of the final with his own performance intact even if the result did not.

Arteta's message after the defeat

Mikel Arteta also spent the evening trying to steady the mood. After the final, he told the squad how much he loves them and praised the way they had given absolutely everything across the season. He called the defeat cruel, which is about as far as a manager can go without reliving the same pain himself.

That does not settle the penalty debate. Rice has been careful enough to say the incident was not clear enough to be a penalty on review, but he has also made clear where he stands on the pitchside view. Arsenal may not be able to rewrite the official outcome, yet Rice's comments show the argument around the call is not going away quickly.