An incredible second-half performance, featuring two of the best free-kicks Emirates Stadium has ever witnessed, made for a magical Champions League night as Declan Rice's first career brace helped beat Real Madrid in the first leg of our quarter-final tie.
After an entertaining, but goalless first half, Rice sparked unforgettable scenes with a curling free-kick to give us the lead. 10 minutes later he did it again, with an even better strike into the top corner from another set piece.
Mikel Merino, our centre forward for the night, was not to be outdone as he expertly struck home a first-time left-foot finish to make it 3-0, meaning our first meeting with Madrid since 2006 was well worth waiting for, but there is more work to be done next week in the Spanish capital.
Positive start
This night at Emirates Stadium had been keenly anticipated ever since our potential route to the final was mapped out, and the expectation levels reached new heights during a spine-tingling pre-match rendition of North London Forever, with the stadium in full voice.
It nearly fell flat inside 40 seconds though, when Kylian Mbappe pounced on a moment’s hesitation in our defence and got his shot away, but David Raya was safely behind it. We retaliated when a break down the left resulted in Thomas Partey testing Thibaut Courtois from the edge of the area, after Merino had laid the ball off to him, back to goal.
After the VAR officials took a long look at a potential handball against Raul Asencio before deeming nothing was untoward, Vinicius Junior shot wide after another fast break from inside their own half.
On the half-hour Mbappe had a great chance for the opener. Jude Bellingham turned defence into attack in the blink of an eye with a defence-splitting throughball, and the Frenchman had time to pick his spot but Raya was equal to his low shot. After our bright start, the Madrid forwards were beginning to make their presence known.
Saka’s crosses unconverted
But we finished the half strongly, and Saka – back in the starting lineup for the first time since December – caused havoc with two crosses that went completely through the corridor of uncertainty and out the other end.
First, he got in behind David Alaba, and squared just in front of the goalline, but nobody was on hand to make contact. Moments later a similar low cross was just about diverted away from danger by Antonio Rudiger’s heel.
Both Saka and Martinelli were looking threatening in wide positions in an open, flowing game. Our next chance also came from the right, Jurrien Timber swung a cross into the middle, but Rice's header was palmed away by Courtois, and the keeper got up to keep out Martinelli’s follow-up as we went into the break with our tails up.
Rice twice as nice
Chances continued to come in the second half. Mbappe fired into the side netting at one end while Rice was denied by a sliding block. But he was not to be denied when we won a free-kick, 10 yards outside the area when Saka was brought down.
Our midfielder stepped up and curled an incredible strike around the wall and just inside the post. He set his strike a good yard outside Courtois’s left-hand post, but the whip and power on his shot brought it back on target, giving the keeper no chance. Emirates Stadium erupted.
We were well on top now, and hunting the second. Incredibly three great chances within the space of 10 seconds were kept out by desperate Real defending. First, Martinelli’s shot was parried by Courtois, the rebound fell to Merino who caught it sweetly only for Alaba to clear off the line, and Courtois got up again to turn away Merino’s next shot.
Rice then had a shot blocked on the line by Bellingham. It was one-way traffic, and then the second goal came from another free-kick. This, arguably, was even better.
It was on the other side of the D, a good five or six yards outside the box. Rice this time rattled his right-footed shot straight into the top corner. Simply unstoppable.
Magical Merino
It went from good, to great, to incredible. Lewis-Skelly ran at the shell-shocked Real defence, squared for Merino who tucked home a first-time left-footed shot, almost nonchalantly, but powerfully into the bottom corner.
The atmosphere inside the stadium reached new levels. The 15-time and reigning European champions, looking to reach the last four for the fifth consecutive season, were on the ropes.
And we restricted them to very little though as we maintained our healthy advantage for the second leg. One man who won't be there though is Eduardo Camavinga, who having picked up a caution that would have resulted in a one-game ban anyway, then duly collected a second late on for kicking the ball away.
We are now well placed to reach only our third ever Champions League semi-final, and first for 16 years, but the job is not done yet.
FACTS AND STATS
This was Real Madrid’s joint-heaviest defeat in the first leg of a Champions League knockout stage tie, along with a 4-1 loss at Borussia Dortmund in the semi-finals in 2012/13.
Our victory was the 12th time an English side have won by 3+ goals in the first leg of a Champions League knockout stage tie, while each of the 11 previous instances have seen that team progress to the next round.
Madrid have lost five games in the Champions League this season, equaling the most defeats they’ve suffered in a single European Cup/Champions League campaign in their history (also five in 2000/01).
We registered 11 shots on target in this match; the joint-most on record (since 2003/04) by a team in a Champions League knockout stage game against Real Madrid.
Declan Rice became the first player in Champions League history to score two direct free-kick goals in a knockout stage match, while it was just the fifth time overall a player had scored more than one in the same game (also Cristiano Ronaldo, Hakim Ziyech, Neymar and Rivaldo).
Rice became just the fourth Gunner to score from a direct free kick in the Champions League, after Alberto Mendez, Thierry Henry x3, and Bukayo Saka.
Myles Lewis-Skelly became the second youngest Englishman to start in a Champions League quarter-final (18y 194d), after Jude Bellingham in 2021 (17y 281d).
What’s next
Before Wednesday’s return fixture in Madrid, we host Brentford on Saturday in the 5.30pm (UK time) Premier League kick-off. The second leg of this tie takes place at the Bernabeu on Wednesday, with the winner facing either Aston Villa or Paris Saint-Germain in the semi-final.
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