What Gabriel did in shock Brazil defeat as Arsenal problems mount after Martin Odegaard injury

Arsenal defender Gabriel Magalhaes endured a difficult evening during Brazil's shock 1-0 defeat against Paraguay. The 26-year-old made just his eighth international start for Dorival Junior's side as Diego Gomez's first-half strike proved the difference at Estadio Defensores del Chaco.

Unfortunately for Gabriel, he could have done better in the build-up to Paraguay's winning goal. A cross from the left-hand side was half cleared by the Gunners centre-back to Gomez, who took a couple of touches before superbly firing the ball into the corner via the post from the edge of the box.

It was a fine finish from Gomez, but it could be argued that Gabriel should have headed the ball further away from danger or into a safer area, rather than straight to the Paraguay midfielder. He was under little to no pressure when clearing the ball and could have steadied himself before getting his head on to it.

As the game wore on, Gabriel lost his temper. In a clip on social media, he could be seen venting his frustration to the referee before visibly smacking the ball out of a ball boy's hand. It summed up Brazil's annoyance as they slumped to a fourth defeat in eight World Cup qualifiers.

Speaking earlier this week, Gabriel admitted that was living a "dream" to be in the Brazil squad with his teammates after waiting a while to break into contention. "I believe that every moment here is a dream lived for me, for my family and my friends," he said. "Every day in here is a dream come true. I’m very happy to be here. It is the result of a lot of work."

It's safe to say Arsenal have had a troubled international break. Gabriel is among those to struggle in terms of his performance, while Martin Odegaard and Riccardo Calafiori both suffered injuries playing for their respective countries. Odegaard limped off with an ankle problem for Norway against Austria and Calafiori was stretchered off after injuring his calf during Italy's win over France.

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The Gunners face Tottenham in the North London derby on Sunday without a number of key players. Declan Rice will serve his one-game suspension after his red card in the 1-1 draw against Brighton, while Mikel Merino is unavailable after injuring his shoulder in training. Odegaard and Calafiori could join them on the sidelines as Mikel Arteta faces a selection crisis ahead of the fixture.