Jeremie Frimpong's reaction to Gabriel's penalty miss goes viral
- Jeremie Frimpong went viral after celebrating Gabriel’s decisive penalty miss during Arsenal’s Champions League final shootout defeat to PSG
- The Liverpool defender later clarified that his reaction was linked to a bet he had made with a friend rather than an attempt to mock Arsenal
- Mikel Arteta revealed Gabriel personally volunteered to take Arsenal’s fifth penalty after several of the club’s regular spot-kick takers had already left the pitch
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Jeremie Frimpong may have cemented his reputation as one of football’s biggest trolls after posting a viral video reacting to Arsenal’s Champions League final defeat to Paris Saint-Germain.
PSG successfully retained their Champions League title after defeating Arsenal 4-3 on penalties following a tense 1-1 draw in Budapest.
Arsenal made a dream start when Kai Havertz scored inside five minutes, giving Gunners supporters hope of a first-ever Champions League triumph.
However, PSG equalised midway through the second half when Ousmane Dembélé converted from the penalty spot after Cristian Mosquera fouled Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.
Arsenal had a golden opportunity to win the match late in extra time, but Viktor Gyökeres saw his effort deflect wide.
The final then went to penalties, where things unravelled for Mikel Arteta’s side. Eberechi Eze dragged his spot-kick wide, although goalkeeper David Raya kept Arsenal alive by saving Nuno Mendes’ penalty.
PSG did not miss again, though, and Arsenal’s hopes were ended when Gabriel Magalhães blasted the club’s fifth penalty high over the bar, handing victory to Luis Enrique’s team.
With millions watching around the world, several footballers reacted on social media after the final whistle. Erling Haaland, Richarlison and Djed Spence were among those who appeared to poke fun at Arsenal's defeat.
But Frimpong’s reaction attracted even more attention.
The Liverpool defender was watching the game with friends and family, and when Gabriel’s penalty flew over the head of PSG goalkeeper Matvey Safonov, the group erupted in celebration, jumping from their seats and cheering wildly.
The video, first shared on Snapchat, carried the caption: “Let it all work out.”
The phrase references the song Indecision by Sampha, later sampled by Lil Wayne. The track has become closely associated with Arsenal over the past year after it featured in Eze’s announcement video when he joined the club from Crystal Palace.
After the footage spread across social media, Frimpong moved to explain the celebrations.
Posting on Instagram, the 25-year-old wrote:
“Chill, me and my friend made a bet, and I won, that's why I was happy.”
He accompanied the message with several laughing emojis and a shrug emoji.
Arteta Explains Gabriel’s Penalty Decision
Following the defeat, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta revealed why Gabriel was chosen as one of the penalty takers.
The Gunners still had players such as Noni Madueke and Martín Zubimendi available, but Arteta explained that Gabriel personally volunteered to be among the first five takers.
Regular penalty specialists Havertz, Bukayo Saka and Martin Ødegaard had already been substituted, leaving Arsenal with fewer experienced options.
Arteta said:
“He wanted to take it.
“Normally, the penalty takers would be Bukayo [Saka], Martin [Odegaard] and Kai [Havertz].
“But we knew that if the game went to extra time and penalties, different players would have to step forward.”
Source: YEN.com.gh
