Declan Rice scored two excellent second-half free-kicks as Arsenal stunned Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-finals at Emirates Stadium, taking a three-goal advantage into the second leg.
Mikel Arteta had asked the Arsenal fans to arrive early to create an impressive atmosphere inside the stadium, and the team responded by starting the game quickly with a number of dangerous crosses into the Madrid penalty area.
Match Highlights
The Gunners were the better side all evening and took the lead in the 58th minute when Rice curled the first of two excellent free-kicks round the Real Madrid wall into the corner of the net past Thibaut Courtois.
Rice scored his second of the night with a free-kick of equal quality 12 minutes later, bending another long-range effort into the top right-hand corner to leave Madrid stunned.
Mikel Merino Seals the Win
Mikel Merino then made sure it was a memorable night for Arsenal when he curled a shot into the bottom corner from inside the area just five minutes later.
Things only got worse for Madrid when Eduardo Camavinga was sent off in stoppage time for picking up a second yellow card.
Arsenal’s Advantage
Arsenal have not reached the semi-finals stage of the Champions League since the 2008-09 season, but they have given themselves a huge chance of progressing to the last four with this result. The win puts significant pressure on Real Madrid ahead of the second leg.
UEFA had launched an investigation into alleged indecent conduct by four Real Madrid players—Antonio Rudiger, Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Jr, and Dani Ceballos—following their Champions League last-16 victory over Atletico Madrid.
TV footage showed Rudiger making a throat-slitting gesture, while Mbappe appeared to make a crotch-grabbing motion towards Atletico fans. The Spanish club reported the incidents to UEFA, which confirmed an ethics and disciplinary inspector is handling the case.
