Arsenal beat Real Madrid 2-1 to storm into semis with 5-1 aggregate; star midfielder Rice says Londoners eyeing title now
Declan Rice (left) and Gabriel Martinelli celebrate Arsenal’s second goal vs Real Madrid on Wednesday. Pic/Getty Images
Arsenal dethroned the kings of Europe with ease, beating Real Madrid 2-1 at the Santiago Bernabeu to clinch a 5-1 victory on aggregate, in the quarter-final of the Champions League.
The result sent the Gunners into the semi-finals for the first time since 2009. Wednesday’s triumph was a coming of age performance for Mikel Arteta’s rising stars.
“I sensed that we were on an upwards trajectory. We all fully believe in it,” said midfielder Declan Rice, whose twin free-kicks in the first leg put Arsenal on the path of victory.
Also Read: Ancelotti unsure of Real Madrid future
Credit to boss Arteta
Arteta has slowly rebuilt Arsenal into a force to be reckoned with around a core of promising talent now coming into their prime. Their brightest star, Bukayo Saka, shone yet again. He scored the opener with a sumptuous dink over Madrid’s goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois in the 65th minute. He displayed a sense of responsibility and maturity having been denied from the spot by the Belgian in the first-half.
Gabriel Martinelli stuck the final dagger into Los Blancos in injury time after defender William Saliba blotted what was an otherwise flawless display by bringing down Kylian Mbappe in the Arsenal box.
Vinicius equalises for Real
Vinicius Junior converted from the spot in the 67th minute, but it proved to be nothing more than a consolation.
“It’s such a special night for this club, it’s a historic night for this club,” added Rice. “We have an objective in this competition, we want to play the best teams and we want to win this competition,” he added.
Arteta echoed Rice’s sentiments, reinforcing the message that Arsenal are ready to achieve ultimate glory. “We are really hungry, we want more. All these experiences are going to help us a lot to try to achieve something big,” Arteta said. Arsenal will face PSG in the semi-finals.
16
No. of years since Arsenal played in a UCL semi-final
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