Manchester City and Arsenal shook hands with a 2-2 draw at the Etihad Stadium in a heated showdown in the sixth round of the Premier League, with Stones' equalizer in the closing stages of the game bringing the house down, and a small incident that followed attracted a great deal of attention - Harland's celebratory throw of the ball inadvertently onto Arsenal defender Gabriel's head. In a post-match interview with TNT Sports Brazil, Gabriel showed an open-minded attitude towards the incident.
Gabriel began by stating that he didn't even remember the incident ever happening, "I don't even remember the incident (referring to Harland taking the ball to his head)." His words revealed a high level of concentration on the game itself, as well as a blandness about such hiccups.
Gabriel then analyzed the act from a match perspective: "I think it's normal, they must have been happy after scoring in the last minute. They were playing at home so it was their job to win the game, but we did hold off our opponents well." He understands the excitement of his opponents after scoring at a crucial time and was pleased with his team's defensive performance.
Gabriel also has a clear understanding of provocations in soccer: "It's a fight, it's a war, and it's normal to have provocations in the middle of a soccer game, it's part of the game." He believes that in a heated game, there may be some emotions between players, but this is all part of the game and needs to be faced and accepted by both sides.
Finally, Gabriel looked ahead to his team's future matches, "Now that it's all over, we'll be back on our home turf waiting for Manchester City." His words revealed his expectation and confidence for the next game. At 02:45 GMT on September 26, Arsenal will host Bolton Wanderers of League One in the third round of the EFL Cup, and I believe Gabriel and his teammates are fully prepared and look forward to bringing a wonderful game to the fans at home.
