Arsenal v Real Madrid LIVE: Reaction as brilliant Gunners demolish visitors on historic Champions League night | OneFootball

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'What are the odds?' Arteta on Rice's 'magical moments'

Arsenal delivered a Champions League performance for the ages as they demolished Real Madrid 3-0 to put one foot in the semi-finals on the most historic night in Emirates Stadium history.

This was the Gunners’ biggest home occasion since their move from Highbury almost 20 years ago and Mikel Arteta authored one of their greatest ever displays to rout the shell-shocked 15-time European champions and give themselves a huge cushion ahead of next week’s second leg at the Bernabeu.

Declan Rice was the hero as he curled home two sumptuous free-kicks in the space of 13 minutes, with Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois – who was brilliant all evening long – left absolutely helpless.

Makeshift striker Mikel Merino then turned and rifled a third goal into the bottom corner 15 minutes from time to deservedly push the Gunners further clear and leave their fans dreaming of a place in the last four.

The three words that inspired Arsenal’s greatest Champions League night

If the “magic moments” didn’t reveal enough, as Mikel Arteta put it, two images displayed the scale of Arsenal’s 3-0 victory over Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-finals. One was the scene in the dressing room, where staff congratulating the players could barely be heard over the noise. It was raucous.

When Declan Rice came in with his man-of-the-match award, he was laughing about how Nicolas Jover told him to cross his first free-kick. A few metres away, Carlo Ancelotti could barely be heard for very different reasons. The Real Madrid manager’s voice was unusually low for his post-match press conference, which he didn’t stick around long for. Ancelotti has rarely been so subdued.

That was ultimately because of another message relayed by Arteta, that was heard loud and clear.

That was to “make it happen”.

The three words that inspired Arsenal’s greatest Champions League night

Arsenal overwhelmed Real Madrid in a major leap under Mikel Arteta thanks to a new mindset, lessons from a Bayern Munich humbling and tactical adjustments against the Champions League holders

Jamie Braidwood9 April 2025 08:54

Breaking down Declan Rice’s ’magical’ free-kicks against Real Madrid: ‘What are the odds?’

Declan Rice scored the first direct free-kick of his professional career to give Arsenal the lead in their historic victory over Real Madrid. Then, 12 minutes later, he did it again.

Both free-kicks in the 3-0 win were of the highest quality, too, as the England midfielder first bent a sublime strike around Real Madrid’s wall before thundering an unstoppable shot into the top corner of Thibaut Courtois’ goal to leave Martin Odegaard standing with his hands on his head and the Emirates losing its collective mind.

“What are the odds?” Mikel Arteta asked, and quite. Rice had gone 338 appearances in his career without scoring a free-kick, only to become the first player in Champions League history to score two in the same knockout game - as well as only the fifth overall, joining Rivaldo, Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar and Hakim Ziyech.

Jamie Braidwood9 April 2025 08:24