Declan Rice has disclosed the ‘most disappointing’ part of Arsenal’s Champions League exit.
Arsenal competed closely with Bayern Munich in the first leg of their quarter-final match, drawing 2-2 at the Emirates Stadium, but then experienced a narrow 1-0 loss at the Allianz Arena on Wednesday evening.
There was little to differentiate the teams over the two matches but Joshua Kimmich’s second-half goal proved critical, sending Bayern into the semi-finals and Arsenal out of Europe.
Rice said he and his teammates were ‘distraught’ after the defeat and particularly disappointed to concede a fairly easy goal as Kimmich was allowed space in the box to score with a free header past David Raya.
‘We’re gutted, we are distraught really,’ the England midfielder told beIN SPORTS. ‘It’s just difficult to put into words.
‘Over the course of the two legs, we had a great chance to go 2-0 up in the first game, and then we then had an uphill task because we went behind 2-1, but we managed to bring it back to 2-2.
‘We came here after Sunday, and we were feeling refreshed and ready. You saw a reaction in the first half especially. We played with confidence, but were just lacking that cutting edge.
‘But again, it comes down to the boxes and we conceded a goal which is unlike us, and to now go out with a header like that in a game that didn’t really have much in it, that’s the most disappointing thing to be honest.
‘I’m hurting. I came into this game full of hunger, desire and passion. I wanted to just get over the line for this club and so did all the players as well. You could see it in everyone, everyone was so hungry together.’
Arsenal cannot afford to take too long to get over their European disappointment as they must get their Premier League title challenge back on track when they visit Wolves on Saturday.
The Gunners have rivalled Manchester City and Liverpool for the title this season but experienced a heavy 2-0 defeat to Aston Villa three days before their Champions League exit.
‘What I take from it is that it’s a learning experience,’ Rice added. ‘We’re a young group. There’s a lot of demand and pressure on us now to deliver and rightly so because we’re good at what we do.
‘This is Arsenal Football Club, one of the biggest clubs in the world, and we need to stand tall and be counted for. And, that now goes back to Saturday. We’ve got Wolves away, and that’s where our big reaction is going to happen.’
Bayern Munich will face Real Madrid for a place in the Champions League final after the 14-time winners eliminated holders Manchester City in a quarter-final penalty shootout.
French champions Paris Saint-Germain take on Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund in the other semi-final.
The semi-final legs take place on April 30/May 1 and May 7/8, with London’s Wembley Stadium hosting the 2024 Champions League final on June 1.
